1 00:00:27,40 --> 00:00:31,74 Good afternoon I'm Warren Brown I'm the vice president for instruction and student 2 00:00:31,75 --> 00:00:36,45 services here at Seattle Central Community College on behalf of Seattle Central 3 00:00:36,46 --> 00:00:41,43 Community College and President Kilpatrick would like to welcome you here today and 4 00:00:41,73 --> 00:00:46,23 we are quite delighted to be hosting this event as we discuss the transit service 5 00:00:46,24 --> 00:00:46,97 in the greater C.L. 6 00:00:46,98 --> 00:00:53,27 Area having efficient reliable transit services vital to our community C L central 7 00:00:53,33 --> 00:00:53,60 as 8 00:00:53,61 --> 00:00:59,30 a open door access institution of higher education particularly depends upon transit 9 00:00:59,31 --> 00:01:03,18 service to fulfill our mission and our mission is to provide affordable accessible 10 00:01:03,19 --> 00:01:08,100 education to the students and community members of the greater Seattle area hence 11 00:01:09,00 --> 00:01:13,82 if students do not get to our campus they can take our classes and they can get 12 00:01:13,84 --> 00:01:18,25 a college education that's vital to their future the future of their families the 13 00:01:18,25 --> 00:01:23,42 future of the community and also for regional economic viability in 14 00:01:23,43 --> 00:01:25,47 a moment the transit writers union will make 15 00:01:25,48 --> 00:01:29,96 a presentation about the issue and the proposed cuts to the King County Metro 16 00:01:29,97 --> 00:01:32,14 transit service then there will be 17 00:01:32,15 --> 00:01:36,78 a panel discussion moderated by Dominic Holden who's the editor of The Stranger 18 00:01:36,79 --> 00:01:41,74 magazine and they'll be followed by a question and answer session you'll hear 19 00:01:41,75 --> 00:01:45,69 a lot of great ideas of how we can move forward so please do your part by 20 00:01:45,70 --> 00:01:49,100 contacting your local political representative and letting them know how reliable 21 00:01:50,01 --> 00:01:55,61 transit is important to the lives of our community. Thank you all for joining me 22 00:01:55,62 --> 00:01:59,73 here today. You know these proposed bus cuts will have 23 00:01:59,74 --> 00:02:04,60 a dead devastating effect on the residents of King County trance it is critical to 24 00:02:04,61 --> 00:02:09,64 the mobility of King County in the Puget Sound region Metro carries about four 25 00:02:09,65 --> 00:02:11,26 hundred thousand passengers 26 00:02:11,27 --> 00:02:16,28 a day almost one hundred twenty million every year mostly during the peak hours 27 00:02:16,29 --> 00:02:21,37 when our roads are at their most congested. So how did we get into this situation 28 00:02:21,38 --> 00:02:26,81 where we need to propose seventeen percent cuts to this vital system. Going back in 29 00:02:26,82 --> 00:02:31,47 history in two thousand the state passed him Iman's Initiative six ninety five Feel 30 00:02:31,48 --> 00:02:38,46 free to his. That limited car tabs to thirty dollars although it was later declared 31 00:02:38,47 --> 00:02:42,44 unconstitutional the state legislature at the time decided to implemented in any 32 00:02:42,45 --> 00:02:44,25 way the loss of 33 00:02:44,26 --> 00:02:49,04 a progressive fair Motor Vehicle Excise Tax in the statement the virtual 34 00:02:49,20 --> 00:02:54,89 elimination of state support for transit agencies most states state support transit 35 00:02:55,12 --> 00:03:00,33 at about twenty percent in our state used to now in Washington that's less than two 36 00:03:00,34 --> 00:03:05,19 percent So Metro another transit agencies in the state became almost entirely 37 00:03:05,20 --> 00:03:10,79 reliant reliant on two funding sources to pay for service the sales tax and farebox 38 00:03:10,80 --> 00:03:16,04 revenue that riders pay. In two thousand and eight when the Great Recession hit 39 00:03:16,05 --> 00:03:20,34 metro last about twenty five percent of that sales tax revenue as the economy 40 00:03:20,35 --> 00:03:24,95 collapsed about sixty percent of our budget is sales tax about thirty percent 41 00:03:25,33 --> 00:03:30,33 twenty nine percent actually is farebox revenue. That meant 42 00:03:30,34 --> 00:03:34,62 a loss of one point three billion dollars since two thousand and eight and expected 43 00:03:34,71 --> 00:03:41,23 transit revenue to fund metro service. Since then we've done everything we can to 44 00:03:41,24 --> 00:03:46,09 keep service on the street we cut hundreds of staff positions tightened schedules 45 00:03:46,10 --> 00:03:46,28 for 46 00:03:46,29 --> 00:03:51,91 a bus drivers deferred needed bus purchases drained our reserves in our drivers helped 47 00:03:51,92 --> 00:03:52,74 by going without 48 00:03:52,75 --> 00:03:58,56 a pay raise and and that they needed to keep to live in this very expensive place 49 00:03:59,05 --> 00:03:59,92 we've also had 50 00:03:59,93 --> 00:04:04,36 a very complete yearlong audit led by the King County Council to find every 51 00:04:04,37 --> 00:04:10,57 efficiency we could and we also had to raise fares four times in four years almost 52 00:04:10,58 --> 00:04:15,29 doubling from them from what they were because we had to demonstrated 53 00:04:15,30 --> 00:04:17,73 a commitment to reform the state legislature gave us 54 00:04:17,74 --> 00:04:22,04 a two year temporary congestion reduction charge or C.R.C. 55 00:04:22,19 --> 00:04:26,99 Which is the twenty dollars charge you see today on your card tabs that charge was 56 00:04:27,00 --> 00:04:27,53 supposed to be 57 00:04:27,54 --> 00:04:32,53 a bridge Intel an expected statewide transportation package including local options 58 00:04:32,54 --> 00:04:39,09 for us to fund transit in the Puget Sound region materialized all the actions we 59 00:04:39,10 --> 00:04:42,95 took made up about eight hundred million of that one point three billion dollars 60 00:04:43,54 --> 00:04:44,91 But now the C.R.C. 61 00:04:44,92 --> 00:04:50,73 Expires in June the state has failed to keep its commitment to provide mitigation 62 00:04:50,74 --> 00:04:57,30 service for the Alaskan Way of viaducts service during construction and and 63 00:04:57,67 --> 00:05:02,88 we have no reserves left to use. And we still don't have 64 00:05:02,88 --> 00:05:07,57 a statewide transportation package despite our efforts. So we've been forced to 65 00:05:07,58 --> 00:05:11,52 propose cuts of up to seventeen percent of the metro system now I know you're 66 00:05:11,53 --> 00:05:15,36 probably asking yourselves isn't that going to be better why is Metro still unable 67 00:05:15,37 --> 00:05:21,14 to fund service Well the economy is better but the Fast and the Comic Con It can 68 00:05:21,15 --> 00:05:23,60 really grow is that Max about six percent 69 00:05:24,41 --> 00:05:28,99 a year in sales tax revenues since we lost so much we have to recover from 70 00:05:28,100 --> 00:05:33,58 a lower base so if we were at one hundred drop to seventy five and we grow by six 71 00:05:33,59 --> 00:05:37,99 cents six percent a year it's going to take us almost 72 00:05:37,100 --> 00:05:41,82 a decade to get back to where we were in two thousand and eight we're now at 73 00:05:41,83 --> 00:05:48,59 funding levels that we had in one nine hundred ninety seven so even is that. Me in 74 00:05:48,60 --> 00:05:51,89 the meantime those costs will continue to increase to run 75 00:05:51,90 --> 00:05:55,75 a bus system in the number of riders will continue to grow as people move here 76 00:05:55,90 --> 00:06:02,13 roads become more congested and people become more dependent on transit. So now we 77 00:06:02,14 --> 00:06:02,48 face 78 00:06:02,49 --> 00:06:07,54 a seventy five million dollar annual gap in funding to keep the service we now have 79 00:06:07,55 --> 00:06:11,97 on the street and that's why we've been forced to announce these cuts to our bus 80 00:06:11,98 --> 00:06:16,93 system our neighboring transit systems have already seen devastating cuts already 81 00:06:17,21 --> 00:06:23,91 community transit in Sonoma County eliminated all Sunday service and made. A Other 82 00:06:23,92 --> 00:06:29,14 cuts to their service peers transit to the south shrink it service area and cut 83 00:06:29,15 --> 00:06:35,14 service by thirty percent been any trance of service to most of Pierce County 84 00:06:36,13 --> 00:06:40,37 we were not willing to do either one of those options there's no good way to cut 85 00:06:40,38 --> 00:06:43,73 transit systems increasingly people work seven days 86 00:06:43,74 --> 00:06:46,53 a week and to abandon weekend service hurts 87 00:06:46,54 --> 00:06:49,30 a lot of working people we also weren't 88 00:06:49,31 --> 00:06:53,82 a band willing to abandon whole parts of King County for service they pay the same 89 00:06:53,83 --> 00:07:00,54 taxes have the same needs as as the rest of us do so we used our new trances 90 00:07:00,55 --> 00:07:01,99 strategic plan to make cuts in 91 00:07:02,00 --> 00:07:08,05 a way that tries to preserve as much service as possible. Strategic Plan dictates 92 00:07:08,06 --> 00:07:12,73 where service should go based on ridership and measurable data services prioritize 93 00:07:12,74 --> 00:07:16,90 to corridors where there is more people living there and where there are more jobs 94 00:07:16,91 --> 00:07:22,83 where people need to get to and then we balance that with two other things one is 95 00:07:22,84 --> 00:07:27,10 social equity concerns we know that many areas of the county are even more transit 96 00:07:27,11 --> 00:07:32,64 dependent because of lower incomes and other indicators of poverty and we also 97 00:07:32,65 --> 00:07:33,09 still have 98 00:07:33,10 --> 00:07:37,64 a responsibility to provide some geographic value to people throughout King County 99 00:07:37,65 --> 00:07:43,48 who pay taxes to support the transit system and have needs as well so we proposed 100 00:07:43,49 --> 00:07:45,03 these cuts last fall to ensure 101 00:07:45,04 --> 00:07:50,27 a long public process and urge the state legislature one more time to do their job 102 00:07:50,42 --> 00:07:50,71 pass 103 00:07:50,72 --> 00:07:55,92 a transportation package with local funding options for transit. Under this proposal 104 00:07:55,93 --> 00:08:00,20 seventy four routes will be deleted those are the routes for the most part with the 105 00:08:00,21 --> 00:08:05,68 lowest ridership hundred seven routes will see some changes in service wherever 106 00:08:05,69 --> 00:08:09,49 possible we tried to maximize the amount of people we're still able to serve by 107 00:08:09,50 --> 00:08:16,11 making cuts in late night service and making cuts in mid-day service only about 108 00:08:16,12 --> 00:08:19,94 thirty three routes will see no changes at all but they will likely be much more 109 00:08:19,95 --> 00:08:21,74 crowded the effect of 110 00:08:21,75 --> 00:08:26,45 a lot of these cuts are going to mean less access to transit for most people longer 111 00:08:26,46 --> 00:08:31,44 walks more painful transfers more difficult system. 112 00:08:33,69 --> 00:08:38,60 If the economy continues to improve we may be able to reduce some of those cuts and 113 00:08:38,61 --> 00:08:39,11 we're going to take 114 00:08:39,13 --> 00:08:43,81 a look at the financial figures when we get them in March to see whether we can 115 00:08:43,82 --> 00:08:49,01 reduce some of those cuts but they will still be significant cuts. We've been going 116 00:08:49,02 --> 00:08:52,79 down to the state legislature for the last five years urging action and the state 117 00:08:52,80 --> 00:08:58,39 legislature has failed to act first they just told us we needed to show reform we 118 00:08:58,40 --> 00:09:01,46 did. Then they told us we didn't speak with 119 00:09:01,47 --> 00:09:05,16 a unified voice here in King County on transportation needs so we built 120 00:09:05,17 --> 00:09:10,79 a coalition of most of the cities in King County businesses labor students human 121 00:09:10,80 --> 00:09:16,99 service advocates writers and others but they still failed to act every year we've 122 00:09:17,00 --> 00:09:20,74 started to feel like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day where the same thing 123 00:09:20,75 --> 00:09:26,34 happens over and over. These cuts are unacceptable to us so we've proposed 124 00:09:26,35 --> 00:09:31,85 a package to go it alone in King County and save metro from those cuts. On Tuesday 125 00:09:31,86 --> 00:09:32,88 executive Konstantin 126 00:09:32,89 --> 00:09:37,56 a majority the King County Council proposed to save Metro cuts by using existing 127 00:09:37,57 --> 00:09:44,07 funding tools to raise to that state legislature is already given us we have the 128 00:09:44,08 --> 00:09:45,48 ability under state law to form 129 00:09:45,49 --> 00:09:50,26 a transportation benefit district in King County but it limits the amount of to the 130 00:09:50,27 --> 00:09:55,93 kind of taxes you can use the only tools that it gave us that we were able to fill 131 00:09:55,94 --> 00:09:59,35 this gap were to increase the sales tax and 132 00:09:59,36 --> 00:10:04,69 a flat vehicle license fee so in agreement with the cities throughout King County 133 00:10:04,70 --> 00:10:08,23 we proposed a tenth of a penny sales tax and 134 00:10:08,24 --> 00:10:13,01 a sixty dollars license fee on every car in King County that would raise about one 135 00:10:13,02 --> 00:10:14,33 hundred thirty million dollars 136 00:10:14,34 --> 00:10:19,89 a year about sixty percent of that under the agreement would go to Metro to keep 137 00:10:19,90 --> 00:10:24,37 that service on the street and forty percent would go to cities and the county by 138 00:10:24,38 --> 00:10:30,70 population to spend on fixing our aging city streets county roads and 139 00:10:31,23 --> 00:10:35,89 also provide whatever they want to do with that money could be non-motorized bike 140 00:10:35,90 --> 00:10:41,30 facilities as well and here in Seattle we also proposed another twenty five percent 141 00:10:41,31 --> 00:10:45,10 fare increase that had already been assumed in our financial plan and was figured 142 00:10:45,11 --> 00:10:50,40 into that deficit I was talking about. These proposed taxes and the fare increase 143 00:10:50,41 --> 00:10:55,08 are not as progressive as we would like so we're also proposing at the same time 144 00:10:55,44 --> 00:10:56,76 a new low income fair of 145 00:10:56,77 --> 00:11:00,62 a dollar fifty for people below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level 146 00:11:01,66 --> 00:11:05,51 who would love to have more progressive ways to keep transit on the street but we 147 00:11:05,52 --> 00:11:12,52 can only use the tools the state legislature allows us to have. So let 148 00:11:12,53 --> 00:11:17,70 me repeat that we can only use the taxes that the state legislature later allows us 149 00:11:18,33 --> 00:11:23,21 we have no more time we have no more reserve or magic rabbits to pull out of our 150 00:11:23,22 --> 00:11:27,94 hat to keep service on the street so we're proposing to go on the ballot on April 151 00:11:27,95 --> 00:11:32,73 twenty second to save metro from these cuts and direct money to cities to fix our 152 00:11:32,74 --> 00:11:37,79 failing roads and bridges. We're moving in the wrong direction our own strategic 153 00:11:37,80 --> 00:11:43,51 plan shows that we have five hundred thousand service hours of under-served 154 00:11:43,52 --> 00:11:48,61 corridors where buses are overcrowded I ride the bus every day or road it to get 155 00:11:48,62 --> 00:11:54,17 here today and. You know we have increasing numbers of buses in this county that 156 00:11:54,18 --> 00:11:58,82 are forced to pass people by because they're simply too full many of us stand every 157 00:11:58,83 --> 00:12:03,67 day on the bust to get where we need to go we need to increase our service by 158 00:12:03,68 --> 00:12:08,84 a minimum of fifteen percent not be talking about cutting it by the same amount we 159 00:12:08,85 --> 00:12:13,77 have to save metro from these cuts and the young who can't afford 160 00:12:13,78 --> 00:12:20,15 a car and the elderly who in many cases can't drive any longer. 161 00:12:21,68 --> 00:12:28,63 Are among those most affected as are those with lower incomes or no income and that 162 00:12:28,67 --> 00:12:33,38 simply can't afford an automobile you know this is beginning going to become an 163 00:12:33,39 --> 00:12:38,44 increasing problem as we move forward our society is aging all the baby boomers 164 00:12:38,45 --> 00:12:45,12 like me are now. Going to be coming seniors over the next ten fifteen years and 165 00:12:45,18 --> 00:12:49,49 we're going to become even more trance reliant we're not building any more roads in 166 00:12:49,50 --> 00:12:55,68 this region we have trouble keeping the roads that we have in good shape we need to 167 00:12:55,74 --> 00:13:00,83 be expanding transit and funding transit and that's why I'm here today be happy to 168 00:13:00,98 --> 00:13:04,17 hear your thoughts and looking forward to being part of the panel that thanks. 169 00:13:08,77 --> 00:13:15,08 To Logan. Can I get the screen going. 170 00:13:16,31 --> 00:13:21,05 OK so I'm going to go back before to mime and back before nine hundred ninety nine 171 00:13:21,34 --> 00:13:23,54 way back to the hundred seventy S. 172 00:13:24,45 --> 00:13:31,43 To address the question of why can we only do what the state says this fellow 173 00:13:31,50 --> 00:13:36,72 was Judge John Forrest Dylan he loved is fascinated by the relation between cities 174 00:13:36,73 --> 00:13:39,76 and counties and states so much so that he wrote 175 00:13:39,80 --> 00:13:44,47 a five volume book called miscible corporations it's probably two thousand pages 176 00:13:44,48 --> 00:13:50,50 total of the relationship between counties and states and it was in his opinion 177 00:13:50,51 --> 00:13:56,26 that cities and counties are essentially creatures or children of the state and as 178 00:13:56,27 --> 00:14:02,82 such they can only do the things they've been expressed we granted to them 179 00:14:03,32 --> 00:14:09,44 by the state in fact in his own words he said municipal corporations over their 180 00:14:09,45 --> 00:14:14,87 origin to derive their powers and rights wholly from the legislature it breathes 181 00:14:14,88 --> 00:14:20,83 into them the breath of life without which they cannot exist very grim as it 182 00:14:20,84 --> 00:14:27,60 creates destroy it may destroy it may have bridge control so that sounds horrible. 183 00:14:28,70 --> 00:14:34,51 But as always the devil is in the details in ninety one there was 184 00:14:34,52 --> 00:14:37,27 a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. 185 00:14:37,28 --> 00:14:42,20 Supreme Court ruled that yes this is sort of the defacto law of the land in the 186 00:14:42,21 --> 00:14:47,73 United States. But like I said the devil is in the details and there are some 187 00:14:47,74 --> 00:14:53,07 states that confer fairly broad powers to cities and counties Washington is not one 188 00:14:53,08 --> 00:14:53,57 of those it's 189 00:14:53,58 --> 00:15:00,23 a very strict. Rule state especially fiscally if you want to raise taxes you have 190 00:15:00,24 --> 00:15:04,26 to ask for permission you have to ask her allowance from the state over and over 191 00:15:04,27 --> 00:15:10,65 and over and over again and. Since washing was founded there's probably been six or 192 00:15:10,66 --> 00:15:12,53 seven attempts to get 193 00:15:12,57 --> 00:15:19,02 a. Progressive income tax in place they've all failed either due to judges 194 00:15:19,06 --> 00:15:24,46 legislators voters. For kind of dubious reasons. 195 00:15:26,60 --> 00:15:31,31 So what that leaves us for things like actually for everything in the state is 196 00:15:31,32 --> 00:15:38,26 either property taxes sales taxes being no taxes all regressive in one 197 00:15:38,27 --> 00:15:45,14 way or another. So when. Metro goes to the state and say we need 198 00:15:45,15 --> 00:15:49,69 help. There's nothing they can do and as Chris said we used to have 199 00:15:49,70 --> 00:15:53,80 a motor vehicle excise tax of two point two percent that's two point two percent on 200 00:15:53,81 --> 00:15:58,19 the value of your vehicle. Up until one thousand nine hundred nine when to my mind 201 00:15:58,20 --> 00:16:04,92 ran I six ninety five and replaced it with the flat thirty dollars rate and Metro 202 00:16:04,93 --> 00:16:05,100 lost about 203 00:16:06,01 --> 00:16:11,63 a third of its operating budget at that point and since then we've been just 204 00:16:12,12 --> 00:16:19,09 careening from crisis to crisis with sales tax. So Washington is 205 00:16:19,10 --> 00:16:24,54 actually the most regressive state in the nation tax wise I don't know if you can 206 00:16:24,55 --> 00:16:30,60 see that but. The poorest twenty percent seventeen percent almost seventeen percent 207 00:16:30,61 --> 00:16:33,24 of their total income in taxes is made 208 00:16:33,25 --> 00:16:37,87 a little easier to read the richest pay two point six percent of their income in 209 00:16:37,88 --> 00:16:44,10 taxes and is sort of you know so the people who ride the bus and the most the 210 00:16:44,11 --> 00:16:47,59 highest users of Metro make less than fifty five thousand dollars 211 00:16:47,60 --> 00:16:49,15 a year they're paying 212 00:16:49,16 --> 00:16:55,46 a lot more in taxes than the people who don't ride and that goes up that increases 213 00:16:55,47 --> 00:16:58,63 every time sales tax goes up or fares go up. 214 00:17:02,52 --> 00:17:08,28 So this is what. Metro needin Chris touched on this little bit also maybe not very 215 00:17:08,29 --> 00:17:14,85 clear but the current system is the great down there. What is this day in the 216 00:17:14,86 --> 00:17:19,43 current system we need increased funding for the system growth because Metro 217 00:17:19,44 --> 00:17:23,68 actually needs to be growing right now service is at an all time or send all time 218 00:17:23,69 --> 00:17:30,02 high it's only going to grow more. Work spect in one hundred thousand 219 00:17:30,51 --> 00:17:37,46 new residents like in the next thirty years and the top when 220 00:17:37,47 --> 00:17:39,09 there is P.S. R.C.S. 221 00:17:39,10 --> 00:17:42,82 The Puget Sound REGIONAL COUNCIL They they do sort of regional planning they work 222 00:17:42,83 --> 00:17:49,24 with the federal government on funding that's their estimated needs for the next 223 00:17:49,55 --> 00:17:54,17 until twenty forty we're so far short of that it's ridiculous and this cannot be 224 00:17:54,18 --> 00:17:59,04 made up ever by sales tax and fair prices especially because we've. 225 00:18:01,55 --> 00:18:05,39 Basically kept out for sales tax increases that have to go back again and again and 226 00:18:05,40 --> 00:18:10,49 again and ask for the sort of minute increases in sales tax so this is not 227 00:18:10,50 --> 00:18:13,52 something that can ever be done with the way we're doing it now it's going to. 228 00:18:15,25 --> 00:18:20,88 Wreck past you now and we can kind of begin to. Go to where we need to go. 229 00:18:24,50 --> 00:18:30,12 Chris also mentioned direct state funding as it says there on average twenty 230 00:18:30,13 --> 00:18:34,09 percent of a state's trust Haitian budget goes to transfer 231 00:18:34,10 --> 00:18:40,85 a wide were between two and four. Good comparisons actually so we just went 232 00:18:40,86 --> 00:18:41,25 through 233 00:18:41,26 --> 00:18:46,00 a special session and for special sessions with no transportation budget Pennsylvania 234 00:18:46,01 --> 00:18:48,33 kind of just did the same thing last year they went through 235 00:18:48,37 --> 00:18:51,78 a regular session and three special sessions finally came up with 236 00:18:51,79 --> 00:18:56,24 a budget twenty five percent of which which goes directly to transit systems in the 237 00:18:56,25 --> 00:19:01,89 state. Of Washington is pretty pathetic outlier when it comes to that kind of thing 238 00:19:01,93 --> 00:19:08,93 since one thousand nine hundred. And it's really diametrically opposed to 239 00:19:08,94 --> 00:19:11,73 what the public says they actually want this is 240 00:19:11,74 --> 00:19:15,32 a survey that was conducted recently by the Washington State Transportation 241 00:19:15,38 --> 00:19:20,92 Commission survey and they asked voters what do they want and you know twenty 242 00:19:20,93 --> 00:19:27,93 percent new roads. Thirty percent modal transit bike paid environment forty five 243 00:19:27,94 --> 00:19:32,85 percent road maintenance what we've been offered by the majority coalition caucus 244 00:19:32,86 --> 00:19:38,58 in the Senate which is Republicans plus to turn coat Democrats is eight twelve 245 00:19:38,59 --> 00:19:42,64 billion dollars package nine billion dollars of which goes to new highway funding 246 00:19:43,50 --> 00:19:50,34 it's pretty low priority for the people of Washington but you know in that whole 247 00:19:50,35 --> 00:19:54,60 bindle highway package there is this sort of like Boeing that was thrown to King 248 00:19:54,61 --> 00:19:55,46 County voters it's 249 00:19:55,85 --> 00:19:59,97 a one point five percent Motor Vehicle Excise Tax to sort of replace what we lost 250 00:19:59,98 --> 00:20:02,87 in one thousand nine hundred nine and you know what they're doing they're basically 251 00:20:02,88 --> 00:20:08,69 holding King County hostage like vote for this terrible thing that nobody wants and 252 00:20:08,70 --> 00:20:15,16 you'll get authority attack yourself. So these are the four 253 00:20:15,82 --> 00:20:20,91 well the. Caucus senators ready Thomas one of the guys he's 254 00:20:20,92 --> 00:20:27,37 a Democrat and you turned in the other four are in Redmond or island and they are 255 00:20:27,38 --> 00:20:33,92 the ones who have been holding up that one point five percent. Which on the whole 256 00:20:33,93 --> 00:20:34,33 is maybe not 257 00:20:34,35 --> 00:20:39,44 a bad thing because the rest the package is so bad but to really affect change for 258 00:20:39,44 --> 00:20:45,33 Metro for transom statewide It has to be done at the state level 259 00:20:46,05 --> 00:20:49,55 and we'll be talking more about what we're doing at the state level one of the 260 00:20:49,56 --> 00:20:54,67 groups are doing in the state level. It has been the state level but before that 261 00:20:54,71 --> 00:21:01,50 riders and transit users have to get organized locally. You know writers are 262 00:21:01,51 --> 00:21:06,88 shown. They're good at saving particular stops or particular routes or service in 263 00:21:06,89 --> 00:21:10,30 a particular neighborhood but I mean somebody else loses theirs and you have to 264 00:21:10,31 --> 00:21:11,65 think of the transit system as 265 00:21:11,66 --> 00:21:15,74 a whole and to do that you need to be organized and buses can be 266 00:21:15,75 --> 00:21:21,48 a little boring sometimes but we need to think of them. Services while things are 267 00:21:21,49 --> 00:21:23,51 going well as well as in times of crisis. 268 00:21:32,35 --> 00:21:38,92 Hello everybody can I say I love the love the earth sign in the back that rules 269 00:21:39,87 --> 00:21:44,26 My name's Dominic HOLDEN I'm the news editor at the stranger and I grew up in 270 00:21:44,27 --> 00:21:50,21 Seattle and I love Metro not only because it's very useful but because I had to 271 00:21:50,22 --> 00:21:54,70 love Metro when I was nine years old I asked my mother for 272 00:21:54,71 --> 00:22:01,67 a ride and my mother responded by giving me sixty five cents and 273 00:22:01,71 --> 00:22:08,47 a bus schedule. And I had to figure it out also it's old enough apparently that it 274 00:22:08,48 --> 00:22:13,30 used to cost sixty five cents to ride the bus which is now it's like what five 275 00:22:13,31 --> 00:22:18,97 times that about. I've been riding Metro all the time I ride my bike I ride Metro 276 00:22:19,79 --> 00:22:21,84 I've never driven 277 00:22:21,89 --> 00:22:28,80 a car in my life. That's my admission. Because I support the war on 278 00:22:28,81 --> 00:22:32,64 cars now I partly because Metro has been 279 00:22:32,65 --> 00:22:39,02 a fantastic service in Seattle and I think Metro and I think King County and I also 280 00:22:39,03 --> 00:22:42,29 thank Seattle Central for having this forum because it's really important that 281 00:22:42,30 --> 00:22:45,03 people in Seattle organize around defending 282 00:22:45,04 --> 00:22:48,67 a bus system that's really crucial for us I want to sort of zoom out for just 283 00:22:48,68 --> 00:22:53,01 a second before I bring the panel up here and that is to say that I mean I love 284 00:22:53,02 --> 00:22:58,57 cities and you guys love cities that's why you live here but like the question is 285 00:22:58,58 --> 00:22:59,53 what is 286 00:22:59,57 --> 00:23:05,24 a city what makes it work Jane Jacobs and her book that sort of the seminal guide 287 00:23:05,25 --> 00:23:10,84 to contemporary urban planning she talks about cities and regions that function as 288 00:23:10,85 --> 00:23:11,04 being 289 00:23:11,05 --> 00:23:17,97 a place where you can live in one area work in another area go to school somewhere 290 00:23:17,98 --> 00:23:21,62 else and go have fun somewhere else essentially you can live your life you can earn 291 00:23:21,63 --> 00:23:25,88 your money you can become educated you can spend your money anywhere in that region 292 00:23:26,68 --> 00:23:31,68 and right now in Seattle we're doing all right but I live in the Central District 293 00:23:31,84 --> 00:23:37,64 and if I want to go spend my money in Ballard especially at rush hour it's just not 294 00:23:37,65 --> 00:23:42,12 going to happen our streets are getting more and more crowded metro service you 295 00:23:42,13 --> 00:23:44,71 know trying to Lex log through all of that faces 296 00:23:44,72 --> 00:23:49,57 a real challenge and we're just mention from the transit riders Union we're 297 00:23:49,58 --> 00:23:53,36 expecting more and more people here what our region needs if we want to be 298 00:23:53,37 --> 00:23:57,70 a functional city is more transit not less of it we need 299 00:23:57,71 --> 00:24:02,99 a light rail in addition to beto and we need Metro to be running on time and 300 00:24:03,00 --> 00:24:07,33 frequently and even as it stands right now I think that Metro is often falling 301 00:24:07,34 --> 00:24:11,80 behind so we need to come up with more money the question is how are we going to 302 00:24:11,81 --> 00:24:15,54 pay for it and the truth is that because we are 303 00:24:15,55 --> 00:24:21,35 a successful city because we are an economic engine there. There is music. 304 00:24:23,45 --> 00:24:23,88 There is 305 00:24:23,89 --> 00:24:30,78 a war on Seattle in the legislature they are trying to screw us every single day 306 00:24:30,94 --> 00:24:34,78 and I don't think that anybody here should mistake what's going on they don't like 307 00:24:34,79 --> 00:24:37,75 the fact that we're prosperous they don't like the fact that we're liberal and 308 00:24:37,76 --> 00:24:40,54 they're trying to screw us out of our money and they have 309 00:24:40,55 --> 00:24:44,61 a myth that they are perpetuating the myth says that they're paying for everything 310 00:24:44,62 --> 00:24:49,87 in Seattle and it's flat wrong the truth is that we are putting in about like for 311 00:24:49,88 --> 00:24:52,11 every dollar we put into the state as 312 00:24:52,12 --> 00:24:56,01 a county were only getting about like sixty five cents back it's not as dramatic 313 00:24:56,02 --> 00:25:00,41 for transit but we're putting more transportation money into the state budget than 314 00:25:00,42 --> 00:25:05,46 we're getting back yet the lawmakers of the century ganged up on us to say that if 315 00:25:05,47 --> 00:25:08,16 we want to save our transit if we want to be 316 00:25:08,17 --> 00:25:13,15 a prosperous region for students for young people for businesses then we're going 317 00:25:13,16 --> 00:25:17,63 to have to come up with our own mechanisms to fund transit and what they're trying 318 00:25:17,64 --> 00:25:22,59 to do what we should be fighting against is this mechanism by which they're forcing 319 00:25:22,60 --> 00:25:27,43 regressive taxes on us they want us to pay with more sales tax that this repression 320 00:25:27,63 --> 00:25:32,66 disproportionately affect the poor they want us to pay for more car tabs that 321 00:25:32,67 --> 00:25:37,20 disproportionately affect the poor they want to they want to force us to increase 322 00:25:37,21 --> 00:25:42,45 the fares which are affecting transit riders who are disproportionately of lower 323 00:25:42,46 --> 00:25:43,94 income but the truth is is that when 324 00:25:43,95 --> 00:25:49,08 a city prospers it benefits everybody especially the big business owners so this is 325 00:25:49,09 --> 00:25:52,26 not just a matter of getting from one place to another this is 326 00:25:52,27 --> 00:25:56,13 a values struggle of making sure that the workers who make the economic engine of 327 00:25:56,14 --> 00:26:00,90 our state tick get their fair shake and that we're not paying more money than we 328 00:26:00,94 --> 00:26:03,87 should be paying so that other people at the top can make 329 00:26:03,88 --> 00:26:10,70 a bunch of money and profit from our work. Thank you 330 00:26:10,78 --> 00:26:15,51 this is an issue that is widely supported in Seattle that's why we have so many 331 00:26:15,52 --> 00:26:19,53 panelists and I ask you guys to start coming up now but there are some panelists. 332 00:26:20,02 --> 00:26:23,01 Couldn't make it here today and one of them is Seattle City Council member Tom 333 00:26:23,02 --> 00:26:26,58 Rasmussen I've spoken a lot of ill where I've written 334 00:26:26,59 --> 00:26:29,90 a lot of ill words about council member Tom Rasmussen I'll be the first to say it 335 00:26:30,03 --> 00:26:33,78 but I've got to give him props he's on absolutely the right side of this issue and 336 00:26:33,79 --> 00:26:37,07 he's been working really hard he prepared a statement that in 337 00:26:37,11 --> 00:26:41,89 a politician's style is so long you can't believe it and I'm not going to read the 338 00:26:41,90 --> 00:26:45,32 whole thing but I'm going to read three paragraphs it's great he says thank you for 339 00:26:45,33 --> 00:26:49,42 organizing this forum on impending cuts to King County Metro transit service I'm 340 00:26:49,43 --> 00:26:53,18 sorry I cannot join you but I have another commitment scheduled for the time of 341 00:26:53,22 --> 00:26:57,12 your forum. He points out that there is discussion of 342 00:26:57,13 --> 00:27:02,19 a transit package and he says unfortunately there are legislators from King County 343 00:27:02,35 --> 00:27:06,88 who hold leadership positions and who are failing us in spite of our unified and 344 00:27:06,89 --> 00:27:08,44 best efforts there on the screen 345 00:27:08,45 --> 00:27:14,29 a moment ago over the last year we have met with them Senators Andy Hill Rodney Tom 346 00:27:14,66 --> 00:27:16,13 the slimy traitor 347 00:27:16,14 --> 00:27:20,51 a former Democrat who's now leading Republicans in the state senate STEVE LETTS and 348 00:27:20,52 --> 00:27:26,00 Joe Faine numerous times and still no results now we are nearly out of time in the 349 00:27:26,01 --> 00:27:27,24 county must plan for 350 00:27:27,25 --> 00:27:32,43 a ballot measure he says in closing while we have not given up on our efforts to 351 00:27:32,44 --> 00:27:36,68 persuade those in the Limpia to approve the funding package King County will go to 352 00:27:36,69 --> 00:27:43,50 the voters this spring if the legislature fails to act I. I and I is for us to far 353 00:27:43,51 --> 00:27:49,13 and apparently. Anticipate all Seattle elected officials be working for it success 354 00:27:49,30 --> 00:27:49,86 should there be 355 00:27:49,87 --> 00:27:54,09 a ballot measure to fund metro we will need your help in getting it passed by the 356 00:27:54,10 --> 00:27:58,59 voters so one of the things I want to talk about ask our panelists to talk about is 357 00:27:58,60 --> 00:28:03,66 how we get that passed by the voters and first then we ask ourselves is this 358 00:28:03,67 --> 00:28:05,86 desperate Local Plan B. 359 00:28:06,01 --> 00:28:10,81 An option that we truly support given the authority that we have is this regressive 360 00:28:10,82 --> 00:28:17,22 funding package worth while it's truly worth fighting for. So I'm going to ask our 361 00:28:17,23 --> 00:28:17,62 panel 362 00:28:17,63 --> 00:28:21,30 a few questions and this is how I'd like to structure them we're going to go to a Q. 363 00:28:21,31 --> 00:28:25,61 And A I would like the folks who didn't speak earlier to talk about how we got 364 00:28:25,62 --> 00:28:29,92 ourselves into this situation what the impacts are especially on their 365 00:28:29,93 --> 00:28:34,52 constituencies what they see the solutions as being maybe it's this funding package 366 00:28:34,53 --> 00:28:41,21 that's on the table or another one and what we can do to actually make that 367 00:28:41,22 --> 00:28:46,32 happen so your name who you work with or groups impacted last time you wrote about 368 00:28:46,33 --> 00:28:52,87 robots go ahead. My name is Terry Damas I am the student representative on this 369 00:28:52,88 --> 00:28:59,84 panel. Lauren was not here today cannot make it I am also the community 370 00:28:59,85 --> 00:29:05,67 representative at Seattle University which is down the street from here the last 371 00:29:05,68 --> 00:29:11,24 time that I rode the bus was yesterday except that I read every day six in the 372 00:29:11,25 --> 00:29:14,96 morning and six at night. As 373 00:29:14,97 --> 00:29:20,23 a student representative I feel that we will be greatly affected by this both 374 00:29:20,55 --> 00:29:27,51 academically and. Financially if the Metro bus is cut 375 00:29:27,58 --> 00:29:34,40 more than it already has in my experience I used to have to walk I set to walk 376 00:29:34,41 --> 00:29:35,50 across the street to catch 377 00:29:35,51 --> 00:29:42,02 a bus and then I had to make was cut I had to walk two miles to get to the next 378 00:29:42,03 --> 00:29:47,60 available bus to come to downtown and so I had to move cities I had to move cities 379 00:29:47,64 --> 00:29:52,45 and we don't I I don't see this as being something that is 380 00:29:52,90 --> 00:29:59,65 a good idea for more students. But it's less like robots yesterday you know 381 00:29:59,66 --> 00:30:05,37 diggers and. Hi everyone minus type of thing I'm the president of Local three 382 00:30:05,38 --> 00:30:10,81 o four for the Washington Federation of State employees I represent over fourteen 383 00:30:10,82 --> 00:30:15,58 hundred employees across King County the last time that I rode 384 00:30:15,59 --> 00:30:21,02 a metro bus was of this morning I commute into work here excels Central every 385 00:30:21,03 --> 00:30:26,22 single morning and leave by bus every evening over half of the employees I 386 00:30:26,23 --> 00:30:32,06 represent also rely on the Metro bus for their main commuting option to get back to 387 00:30:32,07 --> 00:30:33,97 work to serve students 388 00:30:33,98 --> 00:30:38,20 a result day to be at the Department of licensing to help your New Year card haves 389 00:30:38,21 --> 00:30:38,93 and get 390 00:30:38,94 --> 00:30:44,81 a new license to the state of ecology to keep our streams more always clear. All of 391 00:30:44,82 --> 00:30:49,42 these services by Joel government and the state can you call to employees fifty 392 00:30:49,43 --> 00:30:52,56 percent of them get there by bus so it is 393 00:30:52,57 --> 00:30:58,12 a huge impact upon us if we can't get into work we can't serve you we can't help 394 00:30:58,13 --> 00:31:03,25 out students we can't provide the role of General Government and most of us can't 395 00:31:03,26 --> 00:31:09,66 really afford to switch told turn of forms of transportation I person over the from 396 00:31:09,67 --> 00:31:13,58 my position that I could not afford to look at the idea of leasing 397 00:31:13,59 --> 00:31:19,50 a car and paying insurance every month and putting gas into it to pay for parking 398 00:31:19,51 --> 00:31:25,57 at school to commute back and forth every single day and so I truly rely upon all 399 00:31:25,58 --> 00:31:27,90 of these methods of transportation whether it's 400 00:31:27,91 --> 00:31:32,87 a light rail whether it's Metro bus or whether it's improvements to the bicycle 401 00:31:32,88 --> 00:31:37,18 lanes and walking sidewalks so that's why I'm here. 402 00:31:42,96 --> 00:31:48,57 I mean mean I'm with the transit writers union and I rode the bus this morning to 403 00:31:48,58 --> 00:31:55,00 get here our organization has about one hundred members that are poor and working 404 00:31:55,01 --> 00:32:00,78 class people and we are an independent democratic organization that's basically 405 00:32:00,79 --> 00:32:06,82 fighting to save and expand bus service for everybody. As several panelists have 406 00:32:06,83 --> 00:32:13,68 touched on. It best services it's going to disproportionately affect older people 407 00:32:13,69 --> 00:32:18,01 and people are too young to drive and people who are disabled just don't have the 408 00:32:18,02 --> 00:32:24,73 option to drive at all. Hi My name is 409 00:32:25,11 --> 00:32:31,43 Katie Wilson and I'm general secretary of the transit riders Union I last wrote the 410 00:32:31,44 --> 00:32:38,20 bus on the evening of Friday December twenty seventh and that was coming back from 411 00:32:38,21 --> 00:32:44,71 vacation I actually ride my bicycle all the time. And I do occasionally ride the 412 00:32:44,72 --> 00:32:46,78 bus I have to ride the bus at least once 413 00:32:46,79 --> 00:32:52,91 a month to continue in my role in the transit writers' union I figure but honestly 414 00:32:52,91 --> 00:32:59,63 . The bus is expensive and I don't make very much money and biking is almost 415 00:32:59,64 --> 00:33:06,16 always faster and more reliable However I recognize that I have the privilege of 416 00:33:06,17 --> 00:33:12,50 being able to bicycle and not everyone has that and as I always 417 00:33:12,54 --> 00:33:18,18 realize when I'm out there with cars I'm one bicycle accident away from being 418 00:33:18,19 --> 00:33:23,41 totally dependent on the bus. So. Yeah it's. 419 00:33:26,76 --> 00:33:27,39 Already talked 420 00:33:27,40 --> 00:33:32,69 a lot little bit so I will just tell you my bus story I rode the bus to get up here 421 00:33:32,70 --> 00:33:38,11 from downtown today I you can see me every day as I was this morning on either the 422 00:33:38,71 --> 00:33:44,36 route one twenty one of the busiest. Ten buses in the King County system which goes 423 00:33:44,37 --> 00:33:47,22 through the Del Ridge neighborhood which is one of those transit Bennett 424 00:33:47,23 --> 00:33:49,94 neighborhoods or the twenty one or the C. 425 00:33:49,95 --> 00:33:54,68 Line I'm usually standing next to the back door playing on my smartphone or reading 426 00:33:54,69 --> 00:33:59,97 a book but ride the bus every day as does my wife who works downtown and my two 427 00:33:59,98 --> 00:34:05,72 teenage children. Hi My name is Robin tart 428 00:34:06,59 --> 00:34:09,09 represent the local teachers' union the F.T. 429 00:34:09,36 --> 00:34:14,02 And I am the Seattle Central Senate president so I represent the part time and full 430 00:34:14,03 --> 00:34:19,35 time faculty at Seattle Central. And of course I'm very concerned that there are 431 00:34:19,36 --> 00:34:23,28 two bus routes that are being canceled to Capitol Hill and four of five that are 432 00:34:23,29 --> 00:34:28,12 having reduced service and that concerns me greatly not just for myself because I 433 00:34:28,21 --> 00:34:33,08 ride the bus every day but also there's been too wish an increases for our students 434 00:34:33,09 --> 00:34:36,77 and there have been no pay raises for part time a full time faculty in 435 00:34:36,78 --> 00:34:40,97 a very long time speaking about our state legislature they haven't implemented 436 00:34:40,98 --> 00:34:41,99 Cola's in 437 00:34:42,16 --> 00:34:47,67 a very long time but regardless of that when people can't get here they can't take 438 00:34:47,68 --> 00:34:54,43 our programs they can't effectively teach our students. Staff members have 439 00:34:54,44 --> 00:34:58,40 a hard time getting here if bus service is reduced I'm very very concerned about. 440 00:34:59,54 --> 00:35:02,46 How there's going to be a decrease in Machel and I've done 441 00:35:02,47 --> 00:35:06,17 a fair amount of research and it seems as though it's all hinge ing on in two 442 00:35:06,18 --> 00:35:11,06 thousand and sixteen when hopefully light rail makes its way up here to Capitol 443 00:35:11,07 --> 00:35:14,76 Hill but of course at the same time there are also as you've noticed by all the 444 00:35:14,77 --> 00:35:18,46 cranes that are up here on Capitol Hill all these people that are going to be 445 00:35:18,47 --> 00:35:23,97 moving up here and most of the buildings have come in with little or no parking it 446 00:35:23,98 --> 00:35:30,81 seems as though the. Government has seen that point seven maximum 447 00:35:31,30 --> 00:35:37,87 parking per resident seems to be OK for parking here which means since they'll be 448 00:35:37,88 --> 00:35:41,77 no parking more people of the riding transit and there won't be any chance it for 449 00:35:41,78 --> 00:35:48,24 them to ride. On and still Bill Martin 450 00:35:48,77 --> 00:35:52,59 and the assisting secretary with the Press Writers Union I last took 451 00:35:52,60 --> 00:35:54,87 a bus last night to and from 452 00:35:54,88 --> 00:35:59,15 a bar and public transportation made that responsible decision possible. 453 00:36:05,38 --> 00:36:08,21 So we're going to look in the rearview mirror and figure out how we got here 454 00:36:08,22 --> 00:36:12,39 because I think it's Chris who described this as being like Groundhog Day where 455 00:36:12,40 --> 00:36:15,33 we're constantly grovelling in front of 456 00:36:15,34 --> 00:36:21,31 a Limpia and asking for them to give us permission to tax ourselves which is pretty 457 00:36:21,32 --> 00:36:27,62 bananas but I don't know if maybe ty or Robin want to answer this question 458 00:36:28,58 --> 00:36:34,47 why you think we got it or how we got into this situation. Just give us some 459 00:36:34,48 --> 00:36:40,88 historical perspective from where you're coming from. I think the From my point of 460 00:36:40,89 --> 00:36:42,60 view we've seen 461 00:36:42,81 --> 00:36:49,03 a really critical eye turned towards public and government will services in the 462 00:36:49,04 --> 00:36:54,99 last two decades I think we've seen increasing criticism for where the tax dollars 463 00:36:55,00 --> 00:37:00,32 go how they are used and how much tax revenue we should be collecting from our 464 00:37:00,33 --> 00:37:05,96 citizens at the same time as we've been decreasing the amount of taxes we collect 465 00:37:06,30 --> 00:37:11,69 through lowering things such things as the car tax and the car tabs or providing 466 00:37:11,70 --> 00:37:18,06 a cap on certain you know property taxes or sales tax or requiring tax 467 00:37:18,07 --> 00:37:24,97 increases to go to the public to be voted on before they can be implemented 468 00:37:25,23 --> 00:37:31,55 we've also seen. A lot of push for money to be given away to private corporations 469 00:37:32,16 --> 00:37:37,51 in order to serve spur business interests and hopefully create new jobs and I think 470 00:37:37,52 --> 00:37:38,76 that we are reaching the point after 471 00:37:38,77 --> 00:37:42,78 a decade of doing this where we're not seeing an increase in jobs or increase of 472 00:37:42,79 --> 00:37:48,88 our economy by spurring on this new growth by giving away these tax dollars instead 473 00:37:48,89 --> 00:37:52,96 we've just been seeing the dollars going to public services that we all used to 474 00:37:52,97 --> 00:37:57,38 rely on disappearing. And we've seen 475 00:37:57,42 --> 00:38:02,77 a huge amount of twin increases for all of our students across Washington state in 476 00:38:02,78 --> 00:38:05,74 the last decade I think back when I was 477 00:38:05,93 --> 00:38:10,51 a student in two thousand and one and I was paying about five hundred dollars for 478 00:38:10,55 --> 00:38:15,60 community college classes at Shoreline commute college I look at since now paying 479 00:38:15,61 --> 00:38:15,99 over 480 00:38:16,00 --> 00:38:21,94 a grand for the same HOV creditor's and that is just wrong. And it's not because 481 00:38:21,98 --> 00:38:26,20 the actual cost of the culture gone up that much it's because you know the funding 482 00:38:26,21 --> 00:38:32,69 put forward by the state has gone down year after year and I think that to compound 483 00:38:32,70 --> 00:38:38,32 this problem we've also gone through two small economic downturns one major and one 484 00:38:38,33 --> 00:38:41,89 that was minor we had down to the mark in two thousand and one that spurred on 485 00:38:41,90 --> 00:38:45,92 a lot of these concerns were taxation and then we can all remember and think back 486 00:38:45,93 --> 00:38:46,20 just 487 00:38:46,21 --> 00:38:49,83 a couple years ago to two thousand and eight and how devastating that was and were 488 00:38:49,84 --> 00:38:54,22 stored covering from that I think the option right now that I see going forward is 489 00:38:54,23 --> 00:38:58,92 really discussing the citizens these ideas of taxation issues and whether we should 490 00:38:58,93 --> 00:39:03,57 be giving tax breaks to big business and also what ways we should actually provide 491 00:39:03,58 --> 00:39:08,46 income for the state to provide these services. Robin you want to add we think. 492 00:39:10,49 --> 00:39:16,92 Well. Europe public employee Yes and at enemy of everybody 493 00:39:17,46 --> 00:39:22,81 right because because teachers are the enemy lately bus drivers are the enemy they 494 00:39:22,82 --> 00:39:28,08 all want to cut the fat from government and so the result has been what 495 00:39:28,09 --> 00:39:32,81 a lot of cuts to education and transit alike Absolutely I think what 496 00:39:32,82 --> 00:39:38,10 a lot of people miss is that while we're oftentimes the target we're often also the 497 00:39:38,11 --> 00:39:40,55 ones that are suffering and there's been 498 00:39:40,56 --> 00:39:44,48 a lot of. Cutbacks to our part time faculty I am 499 00:39:44,49 --> 00:39:50,41 a part time faculty and they've done away with. Several of our. 500 00:39:52,24 --> 00:39:56,36 Programs that were well known actually throughout the country that students used to 501 00:39:56,37 --> 00:40:02,87 come here for have been eliminated because they were seen as too cost effective. Or 502 00:40:02,88 --> 00:40:09,44 not Qwest effective. And those programs have gone to the wayside and I think that 503 00:40:10,04 --> 00:40:14,02 not only have faculty suffered but we're supposed to be focusing on our students 504 00:40:14,03 --> 00:40:20,34 and. Putting out people who can be productive in the community and able to get jobs 505 00:40:20,59 --> 00:40:25,70 and that just can't happen if we're cutting services which then we're cutting 506 00:40:25,71 --> 00:40:29,26 programs which means we're cutting educators and 507 00:40:29,30 --> 00:40:34,19 a lot because programs get reduced that means that there is less educators on 508 00:40:34,20 --> 00:40:39,96 campus and people who need jobs and have to often like you will seek employment 509 00:40:40,00 --> 00:40:46,88 elsewhere. It's unfortunate that people often see us as enemies because you 510 00:40:46,89 --> 00:40:52,89 see your tax dollars going to education but. How I mean do you want to have 511 00:40:53,10 --> 00:40:58,01 educated citizens or you know do you want to have people there just sitting at home 512 00:40:58,02 --> 00:41:02,93 collecting welfare and not getting educated. In addition one 513 00:41:02,97 --> 00:41:07,65 a couple of things I'd like to add and talking about the sales tax one of the other 514 00:41:07,66 --> 00:41:11,16 things I noticed in doing some research is that most of the buildings are better 515 00:41:11,17 --> 00:41:16,09 going up here have twelve year reprieve from paying any taxes. 516 00:41:19,38 --> 00:41:21,52 So there's 517 00:41:21,53 --> 00:41:27,76 a good amount of tax dollars that could be going towards matching are going to be 518 00:41:28,44 --> 00:41:34,35 never seen so. We've been joined by 519 00:41:34,36 --> 00:41:36,56 a new panelist I want to introduce yourself explain 520 00:41:36,57 --> 00:41:41,96 a little bit about how you're impacted by these potential cuts and then say the 521 00:41:41,97 --> 00:41:45,79 last one you wrote a metro bus oh. I'm 522 00:41:45,80 --> 00:41:51,29 a mess Alex printed with capital housing Sorry I'm late. I. 523 00:41:52,80 --> 00:41:59,15 How it was. About seven hundred KM residents about half of which are located on 524 00:41:59,16 --> 00:42:01,98 Capitol Hill and in our residence rely 525 00:42:01,99 --> 00:42:08,86 a lot on Metro transit service to get to work to get to. See family to. 526 00:42:09,95 --> 00:42:12,97 Get to goods and services. And we also do 527 00:42:12,98 --> 00:42:18,39 a lot of work on Capitol Hill with the with the rest of the neighborhood and and 528 00:42:18,40 --> 00:42:23,19 see transit as being really important for capital residents overall as I'm sure 529 00:42:23,28 --> 00:42:27,59 most of you know. I brought 530 00:42:28,19 --> 00:42:32,46 a couple datapoints with me I don't know if any of these things have been talked 531 00:42:32,47 --> 00:42:36,02 about already but you know one of the reasons why we focus 532 00:42:36,03 --> 00:42:39,42 a lot of our affordable housing development on Capitol Hill is because not only 533 00:42:39,43 --> 00:42:43,24 does it save on housing costs but it saves on transportation costs and. 534 00:42:44,97 --> 00:42:49,71 Transmission costs in the region in general are about twenty one percent of 535 00:42:50,28 --> 00:42:54,19 household income and on Capitol Hill it ranges from about nine to thirteen percent 536 00:42:54,20 --> 00:42:55,07 so if you think about 537 00:42:55,40 --> 00:43:00,53 a savings of about ten percent of your annual income that could be the benefit of 538 00:43:00,54 --> 00:43:00,81 living 539 00:43:00,82 --> 00:43:05,59 a couple if you have really good transit service but with the cuts that we're seeing 540 00:43:05,59 --> 00:43:07,99 . That that could really change in 541 00:43:08,00 --> 00:43:10,38 a lot of people could have to start could have to buy 542 00:43:10,39 --> 00:43:12,36 a car for the first time have to start spending 543 00:43:12,37 --> 00:43:18,65 a lot more money on trend on their transportation costs. And you know in currently 544 00:43:18,82 --> 00:43:22,40 thirty eight percent of residents on couple hold don't own a car so it's 545 00:43:22,41 --> 00:43:29,06 a major savings that that Metro in part is able to to provide And 546 00:43:29,68 --> 00:43:34,54 so that's that's sort of the perspective that I'm coming from primarily today and 547 00:43:35,07 --> 00:43:35,78 the last time I rode 548 00:43:35,79 --> 00:43:41,14 a bus was on my way to work this morning I took the thirty six. Thank you very much 549 00:43:42,00 --> 00:43:44,73 our next question is and I know we've touched on this 550 00:43:44,74 --> 00:43:49,08 a little bit but we've got three people from the transit writers union here I'd 551 00:43:49,09 --> 00:43:53,46 like you to touch briefly on what you think the impacts are and we've heard the 552 00:43:53,47 --> 00:43:57,33 stats it's like seventy four routes would be a limited like 553 00:43:57,34 --> 00:44:02,55 a hundred or something would be reduced reduced but I mean that's 554 00:44:02,56 --> 00:44:08,38 a little bit abstract What's it mean for people who ride transit we can hear from 555 00:44:08,39 --> 00:44:13,85 the transit union and then I'd like you to add so I tannery I'm sorry. 556 00:44:16,54 --> 00:44:20,59 So transit riders union you want to explain how you think that in effect yes sure I 557 00:44:20,60 --> 00:44:27,24 mean. Really we're talking about pretty massive cuts and. As Chris began by saying 558 00:44:27,25 --> 00:44:30,14 the effect is going to be devastating if they actually have to go through the 559 00:44:30,15 --> 00:44:35,25 seventeen percent cuts so I mean talking about eliminating you know seventy four 560 00:44:35,29 --> 00:44:40,48 however many routes I mean what that means is that in some cases whole 561 00:44:40,52 --> 00:44:44,59 neighborhoods or areas are just going to totally lose their service so you know for 562 00:44:44,60 --> 00:44:49,05 instance we have actually I think Diane is here but we have people in the transit 563 00:44:49,06 --> 00:44:54,79 out his union who live on the twenty seven route like in less shy. And the twenty 564 00:44:54,84 --> 00:44:59,86 the twenty seven is on the list of routes to be eliminated if that takes place 565 00:45:00,36 --> 00:45:03,76 people who live in lush I have no bus and there is 566 00:45:03,80 --> 00:45:10,57 a fairly substantial steep uphill walk to the next bus route and lots of 567 00:45:10,58 --> 00:45:17,16 seniors. And I mean so that's basically just going to make it I mean those 568 00:45:17,17 --> 00:45:21,56 people if they don't have friends or family to drive them somewhere you know 569 00:45:21,57 --> 00:45:26,91 they're going to have to start riding access or if they don't qualify for that they 570 00:45:26,92 --> 00:45:31,48 just how are they going to get around so I think there's examples like that you 571 00:45:31,49 --> 00:45:36,11 know all over the city where there's pockets where people are just basically going 572 00:45:36,12 --> 00:45:42,59 to be unable to access public transit. And then of course. 573 00:45:44,09 --> 00:45:44,90 You know just having 574 00:45:44,91 --> 00:45:51,03 a lot lower frequency and reductions on so many routes means that just you know 575 00:45:51,04 --> 00:45:56,73 riding transit is just going to become like anyone who has another option including 576 00:45:56,74 --> 00:46:00,58 a car is going to start using that other option because it's just going to become 577 00:46:00,59 --> 00:46:04,99 more and more frustrating to try to get anywhere on the bus and so that's going to 578 00:46:05,00 --> 00:46:11,25 make congestion worse and. Yeah I don't know I mean you could go on and on about 579 00:46:11,26 --> 00:46:15,99 the bad effects but basically it sucks so anything you want to add. 580 00:46:18,76 --> 00:46:23,69 One other thing correct me if I'm wrong Chris but all night all routes would be 581 00:46:23,73 --> 00:46:29,79 eliminated most of them. A good number yeah I mean you know so you know they're not 582 00:46:29,80 --> 00:46:34,30 all routes are the ones that run really late people who work in restaurants bars 583 00:46:34,31 --> 00:46:37,80 who don't work regular nine to five jobs who want to take part in the nighttime 584 00:46:37,81 --> 00:46:42,33 activities that cities allow that's done you either don't do that or you get 585 00:46:42,34 --> 00:46:49,23 a car so that that's going to really sort of like chop off. Large portions of the 586 00:46:49,24 --> 00:46:54,44 city and large you should activities in the city that we offer those be done so 587 00:46:54,45 --> 00:47:01,22 people people just lose their jobs basically right so yeah. So as student 588 00:47:01,23 --> 00:47:07,63 representative I have experienced much of many of these issues where I 589 00:47:08,17 --> 00:47:14,96 I had to move cities because they cut the Metro. First cut and if there they were 590 00:47:14,97 --> 00:47:21,95 to cut even more routes and reduce the hours that they are working then 591 00:47:22,07 --> 00:47:26,37 our students which are commuting students are make up more than half of our 592 00:47:26,38 --> 00:47:31,14 population at Seattle University will be affected by this we have students that 593 00:47:31,15 --> 00:47:37,21 commute from that commute from Tacoma it's not just in the Seattle area they use 594 00:47:37,22 --> 00:47:43,85 these buses to connect to other routes and other places and so if they were 595 00:47:44,19 --> 00:47:50,54 to reduce or eliminate most of these buses most of these routes it will it could 596 00:47:50,55 --> 00:47:56,71 potentially and economically. Effect 597 00:47:57,30 --> 00:47:58,35 the nation as 598 00:47:58,36 --> 00:48:04,19 a whole because you know Seattle University and Seattle Central is our future this 599 00:48:04,20 --> 00:48:08,85 is where our students and our leaders are coming from and if they're affected at 600 00:48:08,86 --> 00:48:13,63 this young age then how are they supposed to get their resources to be 601 00:48:13,67 --> 00:48:16,35 a better person to be able to make 602 00:48:16,36 --> 00:48:23,14 a difference in our nation. And I just want support 603 00:48:23,15 --> 00:48:25,29 canneries are going to feelings there for 604 00:48:25,30 --> 00:48:31,93 a moment. Eleven percent of the frequent regular riders of King County Metro are 605 00:48:31,94 --> 00:48:37,07 students these are below I come to work and it is serve and help out over in my 606 00:48:37,08 --> 00:48:42,93 office in arson leadership division here the nother fifty five percent of those 607 00:48:42,94 --> 00:48:49,74 regular riders are full time employees like myself going work jobs in King 608 00:48:49,75 --> 00:48:53,87 County so cutting in a metro would have fact 609 00:48:54,84 --> 00:48:56,72 a large amount of students and also 610 00:48:56,73 --> 00:49:01,43 a large amount of people to go data their work and rely on it personally I know 611 00:49:01,44 --> 00:49:05,60 that with the proposed changes I would lose the bus route that I rely on to get to 612 00:49:05,61 --> 00:49:10,64 work every morning it would actually become more effective for me to walk to work 613 00:49:10,65 --> 00:49:15,27 from Beacon Hill that would be to try to transfer on the light rail to get 614 00:49:15,28 --> 00:49:17,89 appearance all day so I mean there's 615 00:49:17,90 --> 00:49:23,03 a huge personal impact even on just small distances within our city like that and 616 00:49:23,04 --> 00:49:23,94 you're factoring 617 00:49:23,98 --> 00:49:29,70 a giant swath of our society our fellow citizens and people we know you know thirty 618 00:49:29,71 --> 00:49:31,66 three percent of households have 619 00:49:31,67 --> 00:49:37,42 a frequent and regular writer if Metro in that household that's one third of houses 620 00:49:37,43 --> 00:49:41,87 that will be affected by this so I mean I think these are really actually quite 621 00:49:41,88 --> 00:49:47,83 devastating changes and cuts are being proposed. And I think that makes us all sad 622 00:49:47,84 --> 00:49:52,50 it makes us wonder what the hell can we do I think that we really need to do speak 623 00:49:52,51 --> 00:49:53,76 out together 624 00:49:53,77 --> 00:49:59,81 a citizens of the state saying that they need to get rid of loopholes get rid tax 625 00:49:59,82 --> 00:50:03,76 breaks for certain organizations look at where they can financially squeeze money 626 00:50:03,77 --> 00:50:10,26 out without affecting services and also propose new streams of revenue I think 627 00:50:10,27 --> 00:50:14,89 a lot of our legislators are really worried that if they mention taxes they're 628 00:50:14,90 --> 00:50:19,61 going to lose their next election I think we really need to come to them as 629 00:50:19,62 --> 00:50:25,02 a citizenry and say we're not against taxes we just want fair taxes that support us 630 00:50:25,03 --> 00:50:31,40 and support the services we rely on. So for the rest of the thank you very much all 631 00:50:31,41 --> 00:50:35,67 of you guys for the next part I want to talk about what the solution is like we 632 00:50:35,68 --> 00:50:40,00 understand OK potentially we're getting screwed here but what are we going to do 633 00:50:40,01 --> 00:50:43,54 about it and there's two different proposals on the table I know Chris outlined 634 00:50:43,79 --> 00:50:46,80 before but I just want to sort profession everyone's memory what 635 00:50:46,81 --> 00:50:51,44 a lot of people are asking for is for the state as part of their transportation 636 00:50:51,45 --> 00:50:56,29 package this session to allow us to impose 637 00:50:56,30 --> 00:50:58,61 a motor vehicle excise tax which is 638 00:50:58,83 --> 00:51:03,56 a tax on the total value of the vehicle this is considered more progressive because 639 00:51:03,57 --> 00:51:07,77 people who own a more expensive car end up paying more they can afford 640 00:51:07,78 --> 00:51:11,31 a more expensive car they can afford more taxes to pay into the system and then 641 00:51:11,32 --> 00:51:12,19 people who own 642 00:51:12,23 --> 00:51:16,86 a less expensive car would end up paying less. It doesn't look like the legislature 643 00:51:16,87 --> 00:51:21,12 is going to do that it looks like we may have to use what little taxing authority 644 00:51:21,13 --> 00:51:26,54 we have and that includes three parts this was proposed I want to say Tuesday 645 00:51:26,58 --> 00:51:31,85 Monday Tuesday by county executive doubt Constantini it includes First 646 00:51:32,11 --> 00:51:36,46 a car tap fee so no matter whether you own an S.U.V. 647 00:51:36,47 --> 00:51:42,30 Hummer that is in crusted in diamonds you pay sixty votes or if you own 648 00:51:42,31 --> 00:51:47,89 a jalopy you pay sixty bucks. And so obviously it is disproportionately affecting 649 00:51:47,90 --> 00:51:51,01 people who own less expensive cars and make less money unless you're wealthy and 650 00:51:51,02 --> 00:51:54,60 you have a fetish for jalopies second it would impose 651 00:51:54,64 --> 00:51:58,70 a point one percent new sales tax and as 652 00:51:58,71 --> 00:52:02,76 a proportion of their income low income earners spend more of their money on 653 00:52:02,83 --> 00:52:08,63 taxable goods and finally it would raise the fare for Metro which was expected by 654 00:52:08,64 --> 00:52:09,70 twenty five cents 655 00:52:09,71 --> 00:52:16,46 a trip so these are legislative options one is considered more fair but unrealistic 656 00:52:16,71 --> 00:52:22,15 and the other one is considered less fair but more doable so I guess what I'd like 657 00:52:22,16 --> 00:52:26,13 to do I mean I'm sure everybody wants to weigh in on this and maybe we'll start at 658 00:52:26,14 --> 00:52:31,42 the other end of the panel this time with Alex and I do want to get to a Q. 659 00:52:31,43 --> 00:52:35,13 And A but I want to give everybody their piece so try to like sort of cut to the 660 00:52:35,14 --> 00:52:41,95 chase of what you think about these options and then what you think we should do to 661 00:52:42,01 --> 00:52:48,24 advance the one that you support. OK Well I think 662 00:52:48,25 --> 00:52:53,40 the one piece that I would add to the the summary that you just mean Tomic is that 663 00:52:53,74 --> 00:52:59,01 the not only is the state option unlikely to pass but that the even though the. 664 00:53:01,75 --> 00:53:02,90 The state option would provide 665 00:53:02,91 --> 00:53:07,02 a more progressive taxing option for King County it would likely come with 666 00:53:07,03 --> 00:53:12,82 a pretty big gas tax for the state overall that would be disproportionately devoted 667 00:53:12,83 --> 00:53:17,47 to highways and the gas tax is also pretty regressive and 668 00:53:17,56 --> 00:53:23,68 a lot of that. A lot of those highly impacts would probably also have some some 669 00:53:23,69 --> 00:53:27,77 negative impacts from my perspective on the state too so I think that it to me it's 670 00:53:27,78 --> 00:53:32,14 not just. I guess that makes me 671 00:53:32,15 --> 00:53:38,96 a lot less enthusiastic about trying to pursue this unlikely state wide option. I'm 672 00:53:38,97 --> 00:53:45,96 definitely really not happy with. The regressive nature of the taxes that King 673 00:53:45,97 --> 00:53:48,81 County has available to itself and what do you want to have happen and how do you 674 00:53:48,82 --> 00:53:55,41 want to do it. So in terms in terms of what my ideal like the ideal situation would 675 00:53:55,42 --> 00:54:00,28 be or realistic one really the question is what do we do now we're about to get 676 00:54:00,29 --> 00:54:05,82 screwed What do you think we should do so so I think that the plan the proposal 677 00:54:05,83 --> 00:54:10,59 that the county has right now I think is in from my perspective is the best option 678 00:54:10,60 --> 00:54:16,62 and given the limited amount of time going forward. I think we just need to get 679 00:54:16,63 --> 00:54:21,34 behind that and try and get that passed now with the idea of in the longer run 680 00:54:21,35 --> 00:54:27,60 finding replacements for some of those regressive revenue sources. And you know 681 00:54:27,61 --> 00:54:29,50 I'll say one thing that I think has helped 682 00:54:29,51 --> 00:54:32,73 a lot with the with the regressive aspect of the Plan B. 683 00:54:32,77 --> 00:54:38,65 Proposal is the low income fair that's been added as part of that. So so that's my 684 00:54:38,66 --> 00:54:44,52 perspective. I'm actually going to defer to Katie on this for the T.R.U. 685 00:54:44,59 --> 00:54:51,31 Side we have something planned out. Well I guess they can't divert it Kitty but. 686 00:54:52,54 --> 00:54:59,18 We can all the credit. OK. I'm 687 00:54:59,33 --> 00:55:03,70 generally not in favor of anything that's going to cost me more money and both of 688 00:55:03,71 --> 00:55:09,56 those options unfortunately will cost me more money. I would be in favor. 689 00:55:11,14 --> 00:55:15,38 Although begrudgingly so if the second option is going to pass that's I think 690 00:55:15,39 --> 00:55:15,61 that's 691 00:55:15,62 --> 00:55:21,64 a. Good temporary solution but I think we need to look more towards these big businesses 692 00:55:21,65 --> 00:55:27,48 that are dragging all these people in from other cities other towns I think you 693 00:55:27,49 --> 00:55:34,45 should. Stop giving all these tax breaks and you know in addition to that the rents 694 00:55:34,46 --> 00:55:38,18 here up on Capitol Hill have gone from less than a thousand dollars 695 00:55:38,19 --> 00:55:39,85 a month to over two thousand dollars 696 00:55:39,86 --> 00:55:43,73 a month for smaller spaces and I just think that some of these things are 697 00:55:43,74 --> 00:55:47,57 ridiculous and they're looking in the wrong place for these funding sources and 698 00:55:47,58 --> 00:55:52,48 that. They're looking to the little guy and it's always the little guy at the 699 00:55:52,49 --> 00:55:56,53 bottom that gets screwed and not the people at the top just like the power point 700 00:55:56,54 --> 00:56:00,49 where we saw that the people that can most afford it are paying the one percent so 701 00:56:00,49 --> 00:56:07,20 . I. Well 702 00:56:07,60 --> 00:56:11,64 you know these are bad choices you know we obviously wanted the state to give us 703 00:56:11,65 --> 00:56:17,42 a motor vehicle but more Vehicle Excise Tax or embed that would've been fair we 704 00:56:17,43 --> 00:56:22,43 don't like proposing these. We do think that we're out of time and we're out of 705 00:56:22,44 --> 00:56:29,11 money and the more important effect on the quality of life for all of us 706 00:56:29,95 --> 00:56:30,53 rather than 707 00:56:30,54 --> 00:56:36,46 a modest increase in the sales tax and in increasing that car tab would be to 708 00:56:36,47 --> 00:56:41,80 devastate transit service so we're faced with bad choices so we're going to urge 709 00:56:41,81 --> 00:56:48,59 people to. Hold their nose and vote for these sales taxes and this vehicle 710 00:56:48,60 --> 00:56:54,03 license fee and we will pledge to continue the fight to get 711 00:56:54,04 --> 00:57:00,29 a more progressive tax source we're being held hostage here in King County by the 712 00:57:00,30 --> 00:57:04,84 rest of the state they know that they cannot pass in major tax measure in this 713 00:57:04,85 --> 00:57:11,78 state or elect anyone without Seattle's votes in King County. So 714 00:57:11,79 --> 00:57:13,13 they want us to be part of 715 00:57:13,14 --> 00:57:16,19 a statewide transportation package we want to be part of 716 00:57:16,20 --> 00:57:18,73 a state wide transportation package if it's 717 00:57:18,74 --> 00:57:24,41 a good package but it needs to be balanced it needs to serve urban King County and 718 00:57:24,42 --> 00:57:30,05 Seattle. Before we get to Katy and we're all anticipating what you have to say. 719 00:57:32,73 --> 00:57:36,58 Chris could you clarify something can this be implemented Council manically or 720 00:57:36,59 --> 00:57:41,81 would it have to go to voters. The transit benefit. 721 00:57:43,69 --> 00:57:49,31 I believe it needs to go to the voters. So maybe that's something that the next 722 00:57:49,32 --> 00:57:52,26 three of you can also touch on assuming that you think that this is 723 00:57:52,27 --> 00:57:57,31 a decent package how do you actually convince voters to approve something like that 724 00:57:57,57 --> 00:58:01,38 and the reason I ask is you guys remember I think it was twenty ten they were 725 00:58:01,39 --> 00:58:06,06 talking about revamping the juvenile detention facility there was 726 00:58:06,07 --> 00:58:07,64 a progressive tax it was 727 00:58:07,65 --> 00:58:12,69 a sales tax that was proposed and voters rejected it and so people aren't super 728 00:58:12,70 --> 00:58:17,73 into adding sales taxes so if we go there how do we do it. OK I hope this isn't 729 00:58:17,74 --> 00:58:23,51 a letdown after all the build up but so I mean as basically everyone has said so 730 00:58:23,52 --> 00:58:24,16 far we're in 731 00:58:24,17 --> 00:58:29,01 a really really crappy situation we're being given this choice between massive 732 00:58:29,07 --> 00:58:33,95 service cuts and increases in regressive taxes that are going to put more of 733 00:58:33,96 --> 00:58:38,42 a burden on working and poor people you know we already have the most regressive 734 00:58:38,43 --> 00:58:41,70 tax system in the nation so we are basically in 735 00:58:41,71 --> 00:58:47,16 a bind it's the austerity bind that has been you know sweeping the world since two 736 00:58:47,17 --> 00:58:54,13 thousand and eight if not before and I mean so as for what sort of 737 00:58:54,14 --> 00:58:57,99 position we should take on the counties plan B. 738 00:58:58,00 --> 00:59:02,43 The sales tax in the vehicle license fee since I'm up here representing the transit 739 00:59:02,44 --> 00:59:05,63 riders Union I'm not going to tell you my personal opinion on going to say is that 740 00:59:05,64 --> 00:59:06,37 we have not made 741 00:59:06,38 --> 00:59:11,12 a decision yet we have been debating this in our last two meetings and we are 742 00:59:11,13 --> 00:59:12,05 probably going to be making 743 00:59:12,06 --> 00:59:16,20 a decision at our next meeting in February which is actually our annual meeting I 744 00:59:16,21 --> 00:59:21,57 encourage you if you have an opinion about this join us come be part of that debate 745 00:59:22,09 --> 00:59:26,53 and shape what we do this year so you know if this is a this is 746 00:59:26,54 --> 00:59:31,95 a really really crucial issue and it bears thinking about and we have not made our 747 00:59:31,96 --> 00:59:37,65 decision now that being said and so that being said what we do know is we have to 748 00:59:37,66 --> 00:59:42,43 keep putting the pressure on the state legislature because regardless of what 749 00:59:42,44 --> 00:59:43,65 happens with plan B. 750 00:59:44,39 --> 00:59:48,69 You know even if it passes that is not enough that is. Not enough and that's enough 751 00:59:48,70 --> 00:59:52,81 to basically keep service sort of where it is that's not enough to grow the system 752 00:59:52,86 --> 00:59:56,49 to where it needs to be I mean hell that's not enough to grow the system to the 753 00:59:56,50 --> 01:00:01,24 point where people don't need cars I mean you know what's going to what's the world 754 01:00:01,25 --> 01:00:04,41 going to be like in fifty years if people are still driving at the rates they're 755 01:00:04,42 --> 01:00:06,16 driving today we have a we have 756 01:00:06,17 --> 01:00:10,16 a climate change crisis going on we have to be serious about building mass public 757 01:00:10,17 --> 01:00:17,12 transit. So you know we can't we whatever we think about what's going on now we 758 01:00:17,13 --> 01:00:23,03 have to keep the pressure on the state and I mean yes you know it's not it's not 759 01:00:23,04 --> 01:00:28,08 looking likely that in particular the state Senate is going to be very amenable to 760 01:00:28,51 --> 01:00:32,94 passing something this session however we can't let them off the hook because if we 761 01:00:32,95 --> 01:00:35,88 make enough noise first of all it's possible we can get something passed and it's 762 01:00:35,89 --> 01:00:40,88 not I mean we don't want them to pass this big transportation package that's you 763 01:00:40,89 --> 01:00:45,64 know on balance and everything like that but. What we're doing right now is the 764 01:00:45,65 --> 01:00:50,64 transit riders you know we've been working with some friendly legislators in the 765 01:00:50,65 --> 01:00:56,83 house including. Two representatives of this district their own in right now so 766 01:00:56,84 --> 01:01:03,81 that's Brady Walkinshaw who just you know is newly in and chop also with 767 01:01:04,01 --> 01:01:10,02 Justin Farrel and Joe Fitzgibbon and they are going to be introducing 768 01:01:10,58 --> 01:01:15,76 legislation. Even in the next few days I mean very soon basically at least one 769 01:01:16,29 --> 01:01:21,58 progressive local transit funding options bill that will include the one point five 770 01:01:21,59 --> 01:01:25,55 percent and that and they're also we don't have the specifics yet but that's also 771 01:01:25,56 --> 01:01:28,60 going to include some other progressive funding options to sort of push the 772 01:01:28,61 --> 01:01:34,54 envelope and saying look you know. Local government should have these options so 773 01:01:34,58 --> 01:01:35,21 things like 774 01:01:35,25 --> 01:01:40,37 a payroll tax which New York City uses partly to fund their transit system which is 775 01:01:40,38 --> 01:01:42,68 a tax on employers and it is 776 01:01:42,72 --> 01:01:47,81 a percentage of gross payroll it's progressive in that larger employers. Pay more 777 01:01:47,99 --> 01:01:54,49 so things things like that and so what our strategy is going to be 778 01:01:55,09 --> 01:01:58,71 to push that as far as possible so. We brought 779 01:01:58,72 --> 01:02:03,25 a couple things here today that we actually want you guys to help us out with so I 780 01:02:03,26 --> 01:02:05,72 hope that everyone or almost everyone at this point has 781 01:02:06,13 --> 01:02:12,70 a sheet which is sort of an unfinished letter. To state legislators and if you fill 782 01:02:12,71 --> 01:02:17,52 this out with your name your address and there's some space if you want to write in 783 01:02:17,53 --> 01:02:21,42 like a particular message you know you know if you don't know who you're 784 01:02:21,43 --> 01:02:25,95 a legislator is just give this back to us if we have your address we can find out 785 01:02:25,96 --> 01:02:30,30 what district you're in and we will photocopy this send it to all of your 786 01:02:30,40 --> 01:02:36,22 legislators and basically we need to try to get these local options bills through 787 01:02:36,23 --> 01:02:43,09 the house if we can do that then all of the pressure is on the Senate and we 788 01:02:43,13 --> 01:02:48,02 so in late February is to is transportation advocacy day when lots of people go out 789 01:02:48,03 --> 01:02:53,38 onto a Limpia to talk about transportation issues we're planning to do 790 01:02:53,39 --> 01:02:57,41 a big demonstration on that day and possibly depending on where things are at some 791 01:02:57,42 --> 01:03:02,58 kind of direct action is really really dramatize this and so as individuals and 792 01:03:02,59 --> 01:03:06,01 especially also as organizations of people are here as representatives of 793 01:03:06,02 --> 01:03:12,66 organizations you know we want to get as many people down there on that day and you 794 01:03:12,67 --> 01:03:17,07 know make sure that you're on our contact list so that we can work together to make 795 01:03:17,08 --> 01:03:20,23 that successful and I mean I don't know you know realistically I don't know what 796 01:03:20,24 --> 01:03:24,79 the chances are but you know even if we can't actually pass this thing through the 797 01:03:24,80 --> 01:03:29,63 state legislature just making enough noise about it and making enough noise about 798 01:03:29,64 --> 01:03:34,38 you know the progressive funding issue and just you know state versus local 799 01:03:34,39 --> 01:03:37,69 government funding authority issue that's 800 01:03:37,70 --> 01:03:42,13 a step forward so we're going to be really pushing that hard and I hope that 801 01:03:42,14 --> 01:03:46,98 everyone here can do that with us there is also this other yellow sheet that I hope 802 01:03:46,99 --> 01:03:50,32 every. One has and there's one side that says take action and that's got. 803 01:03:51,58 --> 01:03:55,81 Instructions for how to find your district online if you don't know who your 804 01:03:55,85 --> 01:04:02,44 representatives are and call them call them you know today call them tomorrow 805 01:04:03,15 --> 01:04:10,01 because when these. Bills get introduced. The more pressure there is the more 806 01:04:10,05 --> 01:04:15,43 likely it is that we can get this through the house and then we can really hammer 807 01:04:15,44 --> 01:04:20,87 on Rodney and those other guys that were up on that board and you know we might be 808 01:04:20,88 --> 01:04:26,14 going what we might be planning something or other on the side. We have lots of 809 01:04:26,28 --> 01:04:31,53 crazy ideas we'll see what comes of it all. So yeah basically sign up join the 810 01:04:31,54 --> 01:04:37,68 transit riders you can come to our next meeting and. Yeah we'll just we'll just get 811 01:04:37,69 --> 01:04:44,30 this is as far as we can get it to go. Thank you 812 01:04:44,95 --> 01:04:50,57 he didn't let us down oh yes I mean you guys are also doing 813 01:04:50,66 --> 01:04:53,73 a rally is that right and you're organizing around M.L.K. 814 01:04:53,74 --> 01:05:00,51 Day Is that correct. Yeah there 815 01:05:00,52 --> 01:05:00,78 is 816 01:05:00,79 --> 01:05:05,67 a march on Martin Luther King Day which is next Monday that we will be part of and 817 01:05:05,71 --> 01:05:07,32 it's starting at eleven A.M. 818 01:05:07,74 --> 01:05:12,100 At the Garfield High School and you should come out there we need people to help us 819 01:05:13,01 --> 01:05:19,44 hold our banner and we will be marching for transit justice and the actual march 820 01:05:19,45 --> 01:05:26,23 still it starts at twelve thirty. I 821 01:05:26,24 --> 01:05:31,99 saw it said I think from the perspective of our employees in our union we're really 822 01:05:32,00 --> 01:05:37,82 concerned about funding issues over all across our state we look at tax giveaways 823 01:05:37,83 --> 01:05:44,33 to bowings which is the nine billion dollar tax break to keep them here. Which is 824 01:05:44,37 --> 01:05:50,22 twice what we spend on the University of Washington our premier university twice we 825 01:05:50,23 --> 01:05:53,85 spend we give way to Boeing just keep them there I think that we look at those 826 01:05:53,86 --> 01:05:56,90 issues as being sort of offensive give that we haven't had 827 01:05:56,91 --> 01:06:02,53 a cost of living increase in five years and I think that from our church of as 828 01:06:02,54 --> 01:06:06,75 a union we really need better sources of state funding and we really need to look 829 01:06:06,76 --> 01:06:10,37 at where we're making tax breaks and this transportation issue is 830 01:06:10,38 --> 01:06:15,94 a large part of that we need to be able to fund the state services such as 831 01:06:15,95 --> 01:06:20,49 transportation education through those tax dollars before you can think about 832 01:06:20,50 --> 01:06:25,11 giving it away I'm going to cut you off though because I want to know given our SHE 833 01:06:25,12 --> 01:06:31,13 options which one you want to go with. I think in the universe such and we need to 834 01:06:31,14 --> 01:06:34,13 band aid we need number plan B. 835 01:06:34,17 --> 01:06:34,59 Just as 836 01:06:34,60 --> 01:06:38,68 a band it personally though I almost hope that we don't don't go over that and 837 01:06:38,69 --> 01:06:42,12 can't agree on it so that we can really get angry and really address some of these 838 01:06:42,13 --> 01:06:48,86 overall issues thank you. I'm just going to throw out my two 839 01:06:48,87 --> 01:06:53,82 cents here I think that getting a state wide the legislature to approve 840 01:06:53,83 --> 01:06:58,49 a motor vehicle excise tax that we want is completely unrealistic because the 841 01:06:58,53 --> 01:07:01,82 legislature right now is useless they can barely pass 842 01:07:01,83 --> 01:07:07,90 a budget they can't get anything important done I am prepared to hold my nose and 843 01:07:07,91 --> 01:07:12,37 vote for this package that was proposed by Dow Constantine this Plan B. 844 01:07:12,38 --> 01:07:16,39 As it were it will be the first time that I as a man have taken plan B. 845 01:07:16,39 --> 01:07:22,51 . And. But I think that it needs to come with 846 01:07:22,52 --> 01:07:28,21 a punishment for the legislature I think. That we need to get if we are going to go 847 01:07:28,22 --> 01:07:29,12 with plan B. 848 01:07:29,16 --> 01:07:32,23 If we're going to have our county council pass it if we're going to send it to 849 01:07:32,24 --> 01:07:36,57 voters if we're going to try to convince people that the shit sandwich is worth 850 01:07:36,61 --> 01:07:38,54 eating that it needs to come with 851 01:07:38,55 --> 01:07:43,58 a pledge from our state legislators that they will reject 852 01:07:43,99 --> 01:07:49,70 a state wide transportation package we as a city of Seattle and as 853 01:07:49,71 --> 01:07:53,69 a county with all of our Democratic delegation that we sent to 854 01:07:53,70 --> 01:07:57,91 a Limpia we should get them on the record saying that we will absolutely reject it 855 01:07:57,95 --> 01:08:03,30 because the assumption is is that they have us by the short hairs The truth is 856 01:08:03,31 --> 01:08:06,72 we've got them they can't do a lot of meaningful stuff in 857 01:08:06,73 --> 01:08:11,73 a Limpia unless Seattle is on board and I think that it's time for once for our 858 01:08:11,74 --> 01:08:13,83 feckless state lawmakers in 859 01:08:13,84 --> 01:08:18,70 a Limpia who represent Seattle who can't seem to agree on anything to try to come 860 01:08:18,71 --> 01:08:23,33 together and make sure that the economic engine of the city of Seattle and King 861 01:08:23,34 --> 01:08:27,16 County is able to run well and not run on the backs of the poor people. 862 01:08:32,00 --> 01:08:36,08 I'm going to come down into the audience that people have questions thank you so 863 01:08:36,09 --> 01:08:40,57 much and by the way I really love your articles about King County Public sheriffs. 864 01:08:43,77 --> 01:08:45,90 My name is Linda Avril and I am 865 01:08:46,07 --> 01:08:50,10 a member of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local five eighty seven I am 866 01:08:50,11 --> 01:08:56,83 a metro bus driver. And I hope that in the future we'll be able to be included 867 01:08:56,84 --> 01:09:00,59 on panels about this question because we do have 868 01:09:00,60 --> 01:09:04,13 a lot to say I'm speaking today as a member of 869 01:09:04,14 --> 01:09:09,24 a caucus called shop floor five eighty seven we are rank and file transit workers 870 01:09:09,69 --> 01:09:14,87 who are very critical about the way that Metro is being run we definitely think 871 01:09:14,88 --> 01:09:20,01 that the state legislature needs to come in for some serious criticism and I 872 01:09:20,02 --> 01:09:25,75 totally agree with. The rep thank you for mentioning the eight point seven billion 873 01:09:25,76 --> 01:09:32,30 in tax breaks for Boeing Dow Constantine I believe is holding our county hostage I 874 01:09:32,31 --> 01:09:33,28 think that he bears 875 01:09:33,29 --> 01:09:38,57 a lot of responsibility for the situation that Metro is in he was right up there 876 01:09:38,58 --> 01:09:44,17 with the rest of the legislature while they were handing the money to Boeing he's 877 01:09:44,18 --> 01:09:50,56 been out there championing stadiums and yet here he is you know talking about the 878 01:09:51,01 --> 01:09:54,78 untenable situation of getting our transit system. 879 01:09:57,56 --> 01:10:03,80 OK so I guess I'd like the panel to respond what do you guys think about a plan C. 880 01:10:03,81 --> 01:10:09,59 Which is what we're trying to put forward ideas such as chopping that throw from 881 01:10:09,60 --> 01:10:15,07 the top we have a lot of very well paid high paid management we think we're 882 01:10:15,18 --> 01:10:17,82 a little top heavy What do you think about 883 01:10:17,83 --> 01:10:23,46 a developer's fee right now it goes to affordable housing but the city council has 884 01:10:23,47 --> 01:10:25,69 talked about putting putting 885 01:10:25,70 --> 01:10:30,81 a higher rate on it and I think that it probably could some of that be directed to 886 01:10:30,82 --> 01:10:37,43 public transit infrastructure what do you think about the idea of. Balling 887 01:10:37,44 --> 01:10:41,77 extensions of the street car we just spent three million dollars on 888 01:10:41,78 --> 01:10:46,71 a study for it to Ballard What do you think about the idea of the sound trance it 889 01:10:46,72 --> 01:10:52,18 head tax which does allow sound trances to levy 890 01:10:52,19 --> 01:10:59,13 a tax on employers based on how many employees they have. It 891 01:10:59,14 --> 01:11:04,20 seems like that money could very easily be put into public transit What do you 892 01:11:04,21 --> 01:11:09,19 think about the false the vision between operations and capital thank you 893 01:11:12,35 --> 01:11:16,93 you have forty seven questions to answer and thirty seconds to do I want to start 894 01:11:16,94 --> 01:11:20,46 with Chris because I mean like you know some of the ideas I mean you work with 895 01:11:20,47 --> 01:11:25,94 Metro What do you think about cutting costs your own job at Metro in order to save 896 01:11:25,95 --> 01:11:26,73 money there is also 897 01:11:26,74 --> 01:11:32,42 a development fee there was also the head tax from Sound Transit there was bought 898 01:11:32,43 --> 01:11:37,21 balling the street car I know also some people have suggested as a plan C. 899 01:11:37,41 --> 01:11:42,83 That the city of Seattle simply buy back its own service from King County. I don't 900 01:11:42,84 --> 01:11:45,27 expect you guys to answer all of these but maybe you can just address 901 01:11:45,28 --> 01:11:51,73 a few of those real quick. I'm not going to try to answer everything Linda said I I 902 01:11:52,72 --> 01:11:57,42 do think that we have looked for efficiencies throughout Metro work committed to 903 01:11:57,43 --> 01:12:01,69 continuing to look at it this and see throughout Metro we have cut 904 01:12:01,70 --> 01:12:07,82 a lot of support staff in the past years and. You know we'll continue to look for 905 01:12:07,83 --> 01:12:13,94 a fists he said Metro I also believe that you know part of Linda's anger is 906 01:12:14,39 --> 01:12:18,53 people's anger in society about how you know one of the first things conservative 907 01:12:18,54 --> 01:12:25,22 say is that our bus drivers get paid too much and that is simply not true 908 01:12:25,48 --> 01:12:26,64 you know driving 909 01:12:26,65 --> 01:12:31,27 a bus is one of the toughest jobs I know of in this region you know you've got to 910 01:12:31,69 --> 01:12:37,62 thank you got to be a. Security guard 911 01:12:37,63 --> 01:12:43,31 a babysitter a direction finder and you've got to drive half a million to 912 01:12:43,32 --> 01:12:47,21 a million dollars and rolling stock that you're responsible for every day while 913 01:12:47,22 --> 01:12:53,27 you're letting people in and off on and off the bus you know and so you do think we 914 01:12:53,28 --> 01:12:57,11 have to have conversations about what our priorities are in this region or any of 915 01:12:57,12 --> 01:13:04,03 those options appealing. Which ones you know I you know I 916 01:13:04,04 --> 01:13:07,70 think we need to continue to look at the structure of Metro and continue to make 917 01:13:07,71 --> 01:13:11,74 sure it's as efficient as possible Linda and I may disagree on some of the 918 01:13:11,75 --> 01:13:16,87 specifics but I think we all agree we need to examine our priorities in this region 919 01:13:17,64 --> 01:13:21,38 as for that head tax for Sound Transit you know. 920 01:13:24,70 --> 01:13:31,19 I'm not sure about sound trances actual funding authority right now. You know we 921 01:13:31,20 --> 01:13:34,69 are way behind on building light rail in this region to in one thousand nine 922 01:13:34,70 --> 01:13:38,81 hundred eighty one nine hundred seventy we voted in this region well we didn't 923 01:13:38,82 --> 01:13:44,59 because none of us were here but but voted down light rail and now we're scrambling 924 01:13:44,60 --> 01:13:48,98 to to build that now when it's much more expensive so any what else of the panel 925 01:13:48,99 --> 01:13:54,24 any of these ideas you heard that you think you get behind. I like Plan C. 926 01:13:54,53 --> 01:13:55,31 I think we should look into 927 01:13:55,32 --> 01:14:00,54 a lot of it is very complicated Is there any particular it's very complicated I 928 01:14:00,55 --> 01:14:04,90 think that there's always room for efficiency in any organization and I think that 929 01:14:04,91 --> 01:14:11,00 oftentimes the highest paid positions go without question for salary 930 01:14:11,35 --> 01:14:15,48 modifications when the drivers in the local are working on the streets and on the 931 01:14:15,49 --> 01:14:19,37 front line have to deal with the cost overruns I think that should just be 932 01:14:19,38 --> 01:14:23,59 addressed and looked at and I hope to work with organizations do that had talks on 933 01:14:23,60 --> 01:14:27,42 the light rail link let's look at I think there's 934 01:14:27,43 --> 01:14:34,03 a lot of options I think lots of like we should look into them and so we can do. It 935 01:14:34,04 --> 01:14:38,81 if yes so I think this is different from the Sound Transit had tax but I believe 936 01:14:38,82 --> 01:14:45,09 the county has the power to levy had tax on employers it's like two dollars per 937 01:14:45,35 --> 01:14:51,60 employee per month or something like that that can go to transit stuff and I mean I 938 01:14:51,61 --> 01:14:55,72 think that is something they should look into I believe the estimate that I got for 939 01:14:55,73 --> 01:14:58,39 what that might raise countywide was about around twenty million 940 01:14:58,40 --> 01:15:03,59 a year so I mean that's not enough and I think most of the things that Linda 941 01:15:03,60 --> 01:15:07,38 mentioned you know I may be worth looking into but I don't think that any one of 942 01:15:07,39 --> 01:15:13,89 them is going to actually raise that much money and I mean one thing that we the 943 01:15:13,90 --> 01:15:18,13 transit riders Union has recommended that the county look into the employer had tax 944 01:15:18,14 --> 01:15:19,66 for is to really find 945 01:15:19,67 --> 01:15:23,36 a robust low income fair program and we're very this is something we've been 946 01:15:23,37 --> 01:15:27,43 campaigning for for since we started basically and we're extremely pleased that the 947 01:15:27,44 --> 01:15:28,72 county is moving forward with 948 01:15:28,73 --> 01:15:33,41 a low income fair seems like they're moving forward alone compared program the the 949 01:15:33,42 --> 01:15:35,45 level that they've suggested for the low income fair 950 01:15:35,46 --> 01:15:39,11 a dollar fifty is higher than we would like we're asking for no higher than 951 01:15:39,12 --> 01:15:43,48 a dollar so I think looking into the employer had tax and other new revenue options 952 01:15:43,69 --> 01:15:49,57 to bring that fair down is something that we would definitely recommend. I would 953 01:15:49,58 --> 01:15:54,52 point out that employer head tax that has been mentioned is not actually in the 954 01:15:54,53 --> 01:15:56,63 transit but the T.B.D. 955 01:15:56,64 --> 01:16:01,65 Legislation that we're talking about it's in the are to have legislation or 956 01:16:01,66 --> 01:16:07,19 regional trance protection investment district legislation and it can only be used 957 01:16:07,20 --> 01:16:13,25 on capital not operating if OK Real quick I want to quibble about whether we're 958 01:16:13,26 --> 01:16:17,48 going to tell me all your development impact fees there are strict limitations at 959 01:16:17,49 --> 01:16:20,51 the state level about where they can go and again it's almost always capital that 960 01:16:20,52 --> 01:16:27,20 can't go to operating budgets so my question is What are you going to do to 961 01:16:27,21 --> 01:16:32,09 organize the writers so that we can counter balance the right wingers who listen to 962 01:16:32,10 --> 01:16:35,93 Cairo in Comal and they think they understand the world what we need to be in their 963 01:16:35,94 --> 01:16:42,72 world so what are you going to do about that. OK I guess I'll answer that 964 01:16:43,16 --> 01:16:48,78 first of all Hell yeah we got to organize as transit riders and that's what we're 965 01:16:48,79 --> 01:16:51,45 trying to do but it's hard and it's hard for 966 01:16:51,46 --> 01:16:54,27 a number of reasons one of those reasons is that we are an all volunteer 967 01:16:54,28 --> 01:16:58,28 organization fund we're independent so we don't we don't get big bucks from you 968 01:16:58,29 --> 01:17:02,01 know some foundation or from politicians or whatever we are funded by our 969 01:17:02,02 --> 01:17:08,36 membership dues and we are poor so you know we're doing the best we can and our 970 01:17:08,37 --> 01:17:13,66 power is in numbers so we need people to join us we have what you say about 971 01:17:13,67 --> 01:17:18,46 countering you know right wing propaganda absolutely we have you know our transit 972 01:17:18,47 --> 01:17:20,36 reader newsletter we've got 973 01:17:20,37 --> 01:17:25,57 a bunch of our second issue out there on our table and you know we want to increase 974 01:17:25,58 --> 01:17:28,84 distribution of that as much as possible so you know whether you're 975 01:17:28,85 --> 01:17:32,20 a member not if you want to give that out to people on your boss in your 976 01:17:32,21 --> 01:17:36,18 neighborhood you know we can arrange that we can you know give you 977 01:17:36,19 --> 01:17:41,28 a stack of newsletters whenever we put one out but I mean it's just at the 978 01:17:41,29 --> 01:17:46,23 beginning at least it's hard slow work and you know we have to get to the point in 979 01:17:46,24 --> 01:17:50,48 terms of size where just all the internal machinery of 980 01:17:50,49 --> 01:17:53,56 a successful organization and we're I think alliances that's the other real 981 01:17:53,57 --> 01:17:58,50 important thing so you know transit is not an isolated issue there's all sorts of 982 01:17:58,51 --> 01:18:02,94 things going on in the city right now and we need to not just organize ourselves 983 01:18:03,30 --> 01:18:07,12 transit riders but we need to be working with other organizations to build this 984 01:18:07,13 --> 01:18:11,49 bigger movement that's going to bring more people in so I don't know if that 985 01:18:11,50 --> 01:18:14,51 answers your question but anyone else want to I want to actually put 986 01:18:14,52 --> 01:18:17,07 a finer point on that question because you're supporting 987 01:18:17,08 --> 01:18:22,88 a bill that is yet to be introduced by four Seattle area lawmakers with an end but 988 01:18:22,89 --> 01:18:26,95 you're holding out hope for it you're not going to support this plan no no no no we 989 01:18:26,96 --> 01:18:28,56 haven't made a decision yet on plan B. 990 01:18:28,57 --> 01:18:29,29 We are going to make 991 01:18:29,30 --> 01:18:32,35 a decision we could decide to support it towing is about time you are going to 992 01:18:32,36 --> 01:18:35,84 oppose it but you want to get this bill through the legislature you want to put 993 01:18:35,85 --> 01:18:40,10 pressure on the Senate what specifically can transit riders do is this man is 994 01:18:40,11 --> 01:18:45,84 asking. To leverage that pressure to advance this bill yes so I mean the first 995 01:18:45,85 --> 01:18:51,42 thing is contact your legislators now you know write write your name and address on 996 01:18:51,43 --> 01:18:55,90 this thing give it back to us call your legislators tell them to get this bill 997 01:18:55,94 --> 01:18:59,66 through the house tell them that transit funding options bills need to get through 998 01:18:59,67 --> 01:19:03,38 this session now that's boring I mean contacting your legislators boring and it 999 01:19:03,39 --> 01:19:05,73 feels really fruitless but you know this is 1000 01:19:05,74 --> 01:19:10,93 a case in which which is really important and let me cut you off let me just ask 1001 01:19:10,94 --> 01:19:15,66 everybody here I know this crazy thing but who here would be willing to contact 1002 01:19:15,67 --> 01:19:19,88 their three legislators to state representatives and their state senator even to 1003 01:19:19,89 --> 01:19:24,63 a short email and or fill out this form here today and say we want to see 1004 01:19:24,67 --> 01:19:29,89 a Motor Vehicle Excise bill passed in the legislature this year what is that twenty 1005 01:19:29,90 --> 01:19:35,27 people thirty people forty forty people forty people right now or take the put 1006 01:19:35,28 --> 01:19:42,16 thank you. I is going to be short I just wanted to ask if we could really 1007 01:19:42,17 --> 01:19:46,99 get back to talking about the immediate problem I totally respect and understand 1008 01:19:47,04 --> 01:19:52,35 all these issues I am with you guys on the tax structure of I'm here because I want 1009 01:19:52,36 --> 01:19:56,84 to save my bus and I want to know how we can do it now by June for the cuts start. 1010 01:20:01,10 --> 01:20:03,91 I mean it sounds like you're supporting this plan B. 1011 01:20:03,96 --> 01:20:09,68 That would make it happen and it within April vote. So if you're going to hold your 1012 01:20:09,70 --> 01:20:10,89 nose and you want plan B. 1013 01:20:10,91 --> 01:20:14,24 To get through the County Council you want to pass at the ballot what's your advice 1014 01:20:14,25 --> 01:20:20,62 to make it happen. I mean there's going to be so whether whatever the turns around 1015 01:20:21,06 --> 01:20:21,74 as you there's going to be 1016 01:20:21,75 --> 01:20:25,46 a campaign to pass that ballot measure and I'm sure there's going to be phone 1017 01:20:25,47 --> 01:20:32,41 banking you know flyers whatever there is going to be things that people can do to 1018 01:20:33,11 --> 01:20:38,70 try to get that to pass I don't think that anyone has the specifics of that yet. Or 1019 01:20:38,74 --> 01:20:45,57 if I'm wrong Carla. OK OK Well if you want to know that 1020 01:20:46,41 --> 01:20:51,80 talk to Carla. I think though that we still need to be concerned about the larger 1021 01:20:51,81 --> 01:20:56,00 issues and the future of this I think that we need to look at Plan B. 1022 01:20:56,01 --> 01:20:57,71 As an option and we need to call it 1023 01:20:57,72 --> 01:21:01,53 a Band-Aid we need to say that we're holding our news to it because we're being 1024 01:21:01,54 --> 01:21:05,05 held hostage but we need to put that out there in 1025 01:21:05,06 --> 01:21:06,70 a way that also makes us angry that we don't have 1026 01:21:06,71 --> 01:21:09,57 a long term fix and solution because that is 1027 01:21:09,58 --> 01:21:13,89 a chronic problem right now when we look at these long term options and that needs 1028 01:21:13,90 --> 01:21:18,12 to be discussed and we really need to get the cues inker ought to push that for 1029 01:21:18,13 --> 01:21:24,24 long term solutions. People are asking what they can do and I did want to direct 1030 01:21:24,25 --> 01:21:24,80 them there is 1031 01:21:24,81 --> 01:21:30,19 a website in addition to supporting the efforts of the trances writers union there 1032 01:21:30,20 --> 01:21:33,16 is a website in a organization has been formed 1033 01:21:33,17 --> 01:21:38,57 a campaign for this it's called Move King County now and their website is move King 1034 01:21:38,58 --> 01:21:44,39 County now dot org If you go there you'll find information about the campaign 1035 01:21:44,40 --> 01:21:48,70 there's opportunities to sign up to help and to talk to people throughout the 1036 01:21:48,71 --> 01:21:55,36 county about both solving this short term problem the mandate is he refers to it 1037 01:21:55,61 --> 01:22:01,28 and fighting for real change in the future. My name's through 1038 01:22:01,29 --> 01:22:08,20 a forest peer more work here at this school and go Seahawks by the way. But I 1039 01:22:08,21 --> 01:22:08,34 have 1040 01:22:08,35 --> 01:22:13,50 a question as it seems like we're always putting the Band-Aid on something and it 1041 01:22:13,51 --> 01:22:16,65 doesn't affect. The legislators are in 1042 01:22:16,94 --> 01:22:23,80 a fix my pockets the city have we now have to pay for grocery bags on top of other 1043 01:22:23,81 --> 01:22:29,27 things they raise the parking on top of that I just want to know when is it going 1044 01:22:29,28 --> 01:22:34,47 to not affect my pocket because it seems like the fares are going to go up in the 1045 01:22:34,48 --> 01:22:39,11 bus routes is going to be short and then what am I going to do do I have to walk 1046 01:22:39,12 --> 01:22:39,41 a half 1047 01:22:39,42 --> 01:22:44,92 a mile or two miles to get to work and I thought the metro system prides itself on 1048 01:22:44,93 --> 01:22:51,02 being the best one the best transportation. Transportations in the nation and I 1049 01:22:51,03 --> 01:22:56,31 don't want us to decline because of things I want to know like when is there any 1050 01:22:56,32 --> 01:22:59,69 other options other than us just forking out more money. 1051 01:23:04,35 --> 01:23:08,13 Go for it yeah I mean it's not going to affect your pocket after we build 1052 01:23:08,14 --> 01:23:12,95 a movement of working in poor people and start taxing corporations and the rich 1053 01:23:12,96 --> 01:23:18,39 that are paying their fair share and haven't been for for decades and. That's not 1054 01:23:18,40 --> 01:23:21,98 going to happen overnight but you know everyone in this room needs to be part of 1055 01:23:21,99 --> 01:23:24,78 that. I really hate to sound like 1056 01:23:24,79 --> 01:23:30,06 a broken record but I completely agree we need to look at long term funding issues 1057 01:23:30,07 --> 01:23:35,57 and how to put the responsibility for taxes back to the people that deserve to pay 1058 01:23:35,58 --> 01:23:40,91 them the people at the top paid the least in taxes but they benefit the most from 1059 01:23:40,92 --> 01:23:45,79 the state services because they benefit from their employees coming to work every 1060 01:23:45,80 --> 01:23:50,49 day they benefit from the school providing education to their potential employees 1061 01:23:50,67 --> 01:23:56,45 we've got to look at things like progressive you know income taxation washing state 1062 01:23:56,65 --> 01:24:01,91 we've got to look vehicle excise tax we've got to look at reason the capital gains 1063 01:24:01,92 --> 01:24:07,60 tax nationwide we have got to look at how to share that tax burden more fairly 1064 01:24:07,73 --> 01:24:13,10 throughout our society. Thank you OK we're going to squeeze in one last question 1065 01:24:13,11 --> 01:24:16,38 I'm sorry so I saw that your hand was up but we do need to wrap up this gentleman 1066 01:24:16,39 --> 01:24:23,30 here got his hand up. Thank you my name is to rogue. Employee here at Seattle 1067 01:24:23,31 --> 01:24:30,02 Central. So we obviously all care about the issue here. 1068 01:24:31,08 --> 01:24:35,48 But what about the people that are here you know the elected officials are 1069 01:24:35,78 --> 01:24:41,04 representative are people that don't know about what's going on how do you propose 1070 01:24:41,05 --> 01:24:46,01 that we capture media attention to put pressure on the legislator and how do you 1071 01:24:46,02 --> 01:24:50,82 propose that we have representatives of the legislator or elected officials sit 1072 01:24:50,83 --> 01:24:56,96 down and hear what we have to say and what's concerning is and how do you get the 1073 01:24:56,97 --> 01:25:01,82 information out to people in areas such as Rainier Beach Skyway in are there are 1074 01:25:01,83 --> 01:25:08,72 meetings being held there. Those are great questions so how do you get the media 1075 01:25:08,73 --> 01:25:12,31 to exert pressure how do you get them to sit down and how do you get the word out 1076 01:25:12,35 --> 01:25:12,85 to 1077 01:25:12,89 --> 01:25:19,61 a lot of South and Southeast communities. Well as usual in this town people like Dominic 1078 01:25:19,62 --> 01:25:24,28 help drive the debate you know because the mainstream. Media is often afraid to 1079 01:25:24,29 --> 01:25:30,93 talk about the real issues so you know encouraging the stranger and other 1080 01:25:30,94 --> 01:25:34,10 progressive media sources to help drive that debate is 1081 01:25:34,11 --> 01:25:37,57 a great idea that website I mentioned does have 1082 01:25:37,58 --> 01:25:43,50 a lot of information about rallies you know King County. Can't lobby for this but 1083 01:25:43,51 --> 01:25:45,83 we can provide information we've had 1084 01:25:45,84 --> 01:25:50,74 a van going around all over the county including Skyway and in 1085 01:25:50,97 --> 01:25:57,52 a lot of places others. On information about the situation we're in and what we're 1086 01:25:57,53 --> 01:26:02,31 proposing and you know we're going to continue to do everything we can but I would 1087 01:26:02,32 --> 01:26:06,43 encourage all of you to do everything you can letters to the editor everything you 1088 01:26:06,44 --> 01:26:13,22 can do to make this you know visible. Anyone else want to offer their 1089 01:26:13,23 --> 01:26:18,35 thoughts on this. One thing I'll just say is that I was really impressed that 1090 01:26:18,39 --> 01:26:19,78 Seattle Central put 1091 01:26:19,95 --> 01:26:23,88 a lot of resources into putting this together and I think it would be really great 1092 01:26:23,89 --> 01:26:26,85 to have other community colleges around the region do similar things and I don't 1093 01:26:26,86 --> 01:26:31,10 know exactly anyone know if the college here is having conversations with some of 1094 01:26:31,11 --> 01:26:38,08 their sister colleges but I hope so and I would really. Quick last week I 1095 01:26:38,09 --> 01:26:41,31 met with representatives of South Seattle and they're in the very early stages of 1096 01:26:41,32 --> 01:26:41,67 planning 1097 01:26:41,68 --> 01:26:48,41 a similar form in the coming months. I want to thank all of you guys 1098 01:26:48,45 --> 01:26:52,12 who came out for this for those of you who are contacting your lawmakers I'm sorry 1099 01:26:52,13 --> 01:26:52,53 I know there are 1100 01:26:52,54 --> 01:26:55,55 a few people in the audience who want to ask questions but we're out of time thank 1101 01:26:55,56 --> 01:26:57,53 you guys very much and I know the panelists will be here for 1102 01:26:57,54 --> 01:27:02,11 a bit if you want to follow up with any of them. I was handed this piece of paper 1103 01:27:02,12 --> 01:27:03,22 that says there's 1104 01:27:03,23 --> 01:27:07,62 a public rally to fund public transit now and it's Wednesday January twenty ninth 1105 01:27:07,63 --> 01:27:08,44 at four P.M. 1106 01:27:08,45 --> 01:27:14,31 In Westlake Park at Fourth and pine so. You know you guys have Facebook you're on 1107 01:27:14,32 --> 01:27:18,68 Twitter share with your friends at this rally is happening in hopefully we can get 1108 01:27:18,69 --> 01:27:22,04 a few of the folks who live in communities who are affected by this who sometimes 1109 01:27:22,05 --> 01:27:24,71 don't hear about what's happening with our transit or don't know how to get 1110 01:27:24,72 --> 01:27:29,40 involved at that event I'm sure you guys are going to be there in force and finally 1111 01:27:29,53 --> 01:27:33,56 thanks to all of our panelists thank you guys thank 1112 01:27:33,47 --> 01:27:36,16 you you thank 1113 01:27:58,34 --> 01:27:58,34 .